Home Office

Refugees: Housing

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has plans to introduce a policy similar to Homes for Ukraine scheme for individuals from (a) Afghanistan, (b) Syria, (c) Sundan and (d) Ethiopa.

Robert Jenrick: The UK continues to welcome refugees through existing resettlement schemes which are global in scope, including the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), Community Sponsorship, the Mandate Resettlement Scheme and the Family Reunion Scheme. The UK has offered a place through these routes to just under 500,000 individuals since 2015.Under these schemes, the UNHCR will refer refugees for resettlement after undertaking an assessment of people’s needs and vulnerabilities. The UK does not seek to influence which cases are referred by the UNHCR under these global schemes.The Community Sponsorship Scheme is open to refugees of all nationalities under the UK Resettlement Scheme (UKRS), or the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS). As such, there are currently no plans to establish any new sponsorship schemes specifically for individuals from Afghanistan, Syria, Sudan or Ethiopia.

Refugees: Afghanistan

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what plans she has to help Afghan refugees who have not secured settled accommodation through (a) a direct offer and (b) the Find Your Own Accommodation scheme by the time the bridging hotel accommodation ends.

Robert Jenrick: All eligible Afghan citizens who come to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy (ARAP) and the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) have valid immigration status, which means that they have the right to work, the right to rent, access to education and healthcare and can apply for public funds.  The Find Your Own (FYO) accommodation pathway has been established and empowers Afghan families to source their own accommodation, rather than the Home Office. Council support staff in hotels will work closely with households to help them navigate the pathway. The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) own the FYO accommodation policy. Guidance has been made available to local authorities on the FYO accommodation pathway and how to support those on Afghan Resettlement Schemes looking to move into the private rented sector. Local authorities have also been provided with resources which can be distributed to Afghan households on the FYO accommodation pathway. This includes information on the support available, the process, advice on guarantors and how to search for a home. Local authorities can access all available resources on Knowledge Hub. Whilst the Home Office are unable to provide the requested breakdown of the numbers participating in the FYO accommodation scheme, Home Office officials continue to work at pace, alongside c.350 local authorities across the UK, to meet the demand for housing. The latest Immigration System Statistics, year ending December 2022, published on 23 February, show that over 9,000 people have now been supported into settled accommodation (This breaks down as c.8,500 moved into homes with an additional c.500 matched but not yet moved). In December, DLUHC announced the £500 million Local Authority Housing Fund for English councils to obtain housing for those fleeing conflicts (including Ukrainians and Afghans). It is expected to deliver up to 500 homes for Afghan households including larger, complex families. As announced on 28 March this fund is being expanded by £250m with the majority of the additional funding used to provide further housing for Afghans currently in bridging accommodation, and the rest used to ease existing homelessness pressures.Across the UK, we will provide over £7,000 per person of flexible funding to enable LAs to support move-on from hotels, consisting of a much more flexible allocation of the existing Housing Costs Fund and £4.1k per person of new funding. This new funding recognises the additional burdens being place on councils to support Afghans into settled homes as quickly as possible and in a way that makes sense locally. The flexibility of this funding looks to provide councils with the ability to address the key supply and affordability challenges this cohort face in accessing their own accommodation.Alongside this new, flexible funding, we will also increase the flexibility of the wraparound support payment to enable it to be used more widely for housing costs, including capital spend where necessary to support moves out of hotels.The Home Office is unable to provide the amount allocated to each local authority participating in the FYO accommodation scheme.

Asylum: Housing

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the works at the former RAF base at Scampton to accommodate asylum seekers, when those works will commence; when those works will be completed; and what effect those works will have on existing heritage assets on that site.

Robert Jenrick: Physical works on site will begin shortly. The work required will be completed as soon as possible. The Home Office recognises the importance of the rich heritage at RAF Scampton and is committed to preserving and enhancing the heritage assets at the site. We will not be using any of the heritage assets, including the runway within our accommodation plans. The Home Office has undertaken significant engagement with Historic England. We will create an Operational Management Plan (OMP) which will set out clear actions and responsibilities to protect the heritage assets at RAF Scampton. We are aware of a planning application submitted by the RAF. This is a matter solely for West Lindsey district council planning department. Whatever decision is taken we will respect, and if any heritage asset is left in our care we will take the necessary steps to protect it.

Vetting: Administrative Delays

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of delays in DBS check waiting times; and what steps her Department is taking to reduce delays to those checks.

Miss Sarah Dines: The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) performed strongly for the 2022/23 financial year, issuing over 7.5 million DBS certificates. Against 80% targets, DBS issued an average of 85.2% of Basic DBS certificates in 2 days, 94.7% of Standard DBS certificates within 5 calendar days, and 78.4% of Enhanced DBS certificates within 14 calendar days. In addition, DBS processed 278,138 fast and free COVID-19 checks (funded by the Department of Health and Social Care) and 54,432 Enhanced checks in support of the Homes for Ukraine scheme. DBS received 10.8% more Enhanced DBS applications compared to the proceeding financial year, with intake for this product during 2022/23 being the largest volume since the inception of DBS. This resulted in referral volumes to police forces exceeding the original budget set with forces, preventing some police forces from achieving their targets. This adversely affected the overall Enhanced DBS check performance. Although the target for Enhanced DBS certificates was not achieved, the average time to issue DBS certificates for 2022/23 was 10.7 calendar days, with over 3.5m customers receiving their enhanced check results within 14 days of submitting their application, and the 80% target being met on day 16. Police Disclosure Unit budgets have been increased during the year with additional funding provided by DBS for the police to recruit additional staff, provide additional overtime, and fund the associated equipment to deal with the increased referral volumes. Police forces with capacity are also helping other forces where shared IT platforms allow. It is expected that these measures will result in an improvement to Enhanced DBS performance during the current financial year.

Biometric Residence Permits and Visas: Sudan

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what support her Department is providing to UK visa and biometric residence permit applicants impacted by the closure of the UK Embassy in Khartoum.

Robert Jenrick: Due to the current situation in Sudan, the Visa Application Centre (VAC) in Khartoum is temporarily closed until further notice.Whilst the VAC is closed, the Home Office is proactively contacting these customers by email to liaise directly on what options and support are available to them.

Asylum: Hotels

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 9 May 2023 to Question 183335 on Asylum: Hotels, whether her Department is taking steps to assess all (a) planning, (b) licensing and (c) other conditions before hotels are contracted for use as temporary contingency accommodation.

Robert Jenrick: All accommodation must meet the high contractual standards and be safe, fit for purpose and properly equipped. Local Authorities are consulted prior to any accommodation being procured and have the opportunity to object to any proposed procurement.We engage extensively with Local Authorities, Police, Fire and other partners when establishing contingency accomodation, including using Multi-Agency Forums to ensure concerns are addressed promptly as the site operates.All our accommodation has the relevant licensing or planning permission before it comes into use for asylum seeker accommodation.

Immigration Controls: ICT

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department have taken steps to resolve IT issues relating to applicants' biometrics being received onto the Home Office computer system; and whether her Department have identified other IT issues relating to immigration and nationality applications.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office does not have the information in a reportable format.

Asylum: Sudan

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to provide safe and legal routes for people displaced from Sudan who are dependents of British nationals to come to the UK.

Robert Jenrick: Over 2,000 people have been evacuated to safety in the longest and largest airlift of any western nation during the crisis in Sudan. As well as British nationals, the UK has also evacuated Sudanese clinicians who work in the NHS. In addition, those individuals who were evacuated from Sudan by other governments who would have met the criteria for evacuation by the UK government will also be able to come to the UK. The UK Government is monitoring the situation in Sudan closely to ensure that it is able to respond appropriately. We recognise that some people displaced by the fighting may wish to join family in the UK, and where those family members do not have a current UK visa, they can apply for one via one of our standard visa routes, which remain available, and applications can be submitted at the nearest Visa Application Centre (VAC). Those wishing to come to the UK for a short time to stay with family can apply for a visit visa which allows them to stay in the UK for up to six months. Immediate family members of British citizens, and those settled in the UK, who wish to come and live in the UK can apply under one of the existing family visa routes. The safe and legal entry routes are country-specific and global:Resettlement, including UNHCR schemes (UK Resettlement scheme, mandate scheme, and community sponsorship), as well as the Afghan Resettlement ProgrammeFamily reunion visasBN(O) Hong Kong visasUkraine Family, Sponsorship and Extension Scheme visasApplications can be made at any VAC and we will accept applications which would normally have to be made in the country where the person is living at any VAC from someone who has been evacuated, or self-evacuated, from Sudan.

British Nationals Abroad: Sudan

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to help reunite UK citizens with close family members who remain in Sudan.

Robert Jenrick: Over 2,000 people have been evacuated to safety in the longest and largest airlift of any western nation during the crisis in Sudan. As well as British nationals, the UK has also evacuated Sudanese clinicians who work in the NHS. In addition, those individuals who were evacuated from Sudan by other governments who would have met the criteria for evacuation by the UK government will also be able to come to the UK. We recognise that some people displaced by the fighting may wish to join family in the UK, and where those family members do not have a current UK visa, they can apply for one via one of our standard visa routes, which remain available, and applications can be submitted at the nearest Visa Application Centre (VAC). Applications can be made at any VAC and we will accept applications which would normally have to be made in the country where the person is living at any VAC from someone who has been evacuated, or self-evacuated, from Sudan.

Asylum: Pregnancy

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will take steps to ensure that asylum seekers who are pregnant are not moved to a new area (a) before and (b) after their baby is born.

Robert Jenrick: Wherever possible, we will settle pregnant women into accommodation where they will be able to access services throughout their pregnancy and into new motherhood.Pregnant women will be accommodated as close to the maternity unit where they are currently accessing and receiving care, as well as existing sources of family and social support.Where there is no previous link to maternity services, pregnant women will be dispersed from IA as soon as possible so that they can establish health and community links in the dispersal area and avoid disruption around delivery.Moves in the late stages of pregnancy would only be undertaken either at the request of the individual or her treating medical practitioners.

Asylum: Health Services

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Health on NHS waiting lists for asylum seekers; and if she will take steps to ensure that asylum seekers are not moved to a new area while on an NHS waiting list.

Robert Jenrick: The Home Office and its accommodation providers are not statutory providers or commissioners of healthcare. Therefore, they do not have systematic access to health or medical data of asylum seekers. They would not be immediately aware if an asylum seeker was on an NHS waiting list for treatment unless this information had been submitted to them either directly and consensually by a supported asylum seeker or via Migrant Help.Section 97(3A) of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 sets out factors that may be considered when deciding the type of accommodation to allocate to asylum seekers and failed asylum seekers in need of support. The overriding principle when allocating accommodation is that it is offered on a ‘no choice basis’. However, requests from asylum seekers on asylum support to be accommodated in a particular location are considered under the Home Office Allocation of Asylum Accommodation Policy. All requests should be considered on a case by case basis, balancing that overarching principle that accommodation is offered on a ‘no choice basis’ against the strength of the exceptional circumstances that might make it appropriate to agree to the request to provide accommodation in a particular location.

Child Sexual Abuse Independent Panel Inquiry

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she plans to respond to the correspondence of 17 April 2023 from the APPG for Safeguarding in Faith Communities on the Government’s response to the recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse.

Robert Jenrick: I recognise the important work of the APPG for Safeguarding in Faith Communities and I responded to your 17 April letter on 12 May.The Government remains firmly committed to tackling all forms of child sexual abuse, and the Inquiry’s final report marks an important milestone in that regard. We have been working across government to carefully consider the Inquiry’s final recommendations. I appreciate all of the victims and survivors who came forward to bravely share their testimonies with the Inquiry and all of the important contributions of stakeholders right across the country over the past seven years.And as the Home Secretary confirmed in a Written Ministerial Statement to the House on 20 April, we will be publishing the Government response to the Inquiry’s final report in May 2023.

Homes for Ukraine Scheme: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visa applications under the Ukraine Family Scheme have been (a) received from Ukrainian nationals wishing to join a Wales-based family member and (b) granted for Ukrainian nationals to join family members residing within Wales as of 15 May 2023.

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visa applications under the Ukraine Family Scheme have been (a) received from Ukrainian nationals wishing to join a Cardiff-based family member and (b) granted for Ukrainian nationals to join family members residing within Cardiff as of 11 May 2023.

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visa applications under the Ukraine Family Scheme have been (a) received from Ukrainian nationals wishing to join a family member based in Cardiff Central constituency and (b) granted for Ukrainian nationals to join family members residing within Cardiff Central constituency as of 11 May 2023.

Robert Jenrick: Where applications are made under the Ukraine Family Scheme, information on the area of the UK the UK family member is residing in is not recorded on UKVI systems and not published.Published data on Ukraine Schemes can be found here Ukraine Visa Schemes: visa data - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Agriculture and Food

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish a list of organisations and representatives attending the UK farm to fork food summit at Downing Street on 16 May 2023.

Ian Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has plans to invite trade union representatives to the UK farm to fork summit at Downing Street on 16 May 2023.

Mark Spencer: The summit brings together government, farmers and food producers to boost cooperation and promote all elements of our world-renowned farming and food industries. The event will look at how we can champion UK food and drink both at home and abroad by boosting confidence in the UK food sector, helping more businesses to invest in domestic production and supporting the long term resilience and sustainability of the food sector. Further details will be announced in due course.

UK Agricultural Partnership

George Eustice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the UK Agricultural Partnership (a) last met and (b) will meet next.

Mark Spencer: The UK Agriculture Partnership (UKAP) has already brought together governments and leading experts from across our four nations to discuss the crucial issues of food security, water quality and soil health, at agricultural centres of excellence in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The last UKAP event was held in July 2022 at the James Hutton Institute in Dundee. We intend to hold the next partnership meeting shortly and are currently in discussions with devolved governments regarding the next host.

Agriculture: Research

George Eustice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to open the industry-led Research and Development Syndicates for applications.

Mark Spencer: Industry-led Research and Development Syndicates formed part of the first competitions under the Farming Innovation Programme, launched in October 2021.

Coastal Areas: Southport

Damien Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure the protection and preservation of (a) the Ribble and Alt Estuaries, (b) Southport’s sand dune habitats and (c) other aspects of Southport’s coastlines.

Trudy Harrison: This part of the coast is protected by the following designations; Sefton Coast Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Ribble Estuary Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Sefton Coast Special Area of Conservation, Ribble and Alt Estuaries Special Protection Area (SPA) and Ribble and Alt Estuaries Ramsar. Natural England (NE) provides statutory nature conservation advice to Local Authorities, landowners and others on activities affecting these designated sites to ensure they are protected NE’s aim for this area is to reconnect coastal designated sites to the low-lying coastal plain and the River Alt by a series of naturally regenerating wetlands and grasslands. Key to achieving this is NE’s work with farmers and landowners to encourage uptake of our Environmental Land Management Schemes and NE’s Catchment Sensitive Farming Advisers support farmers and growers to produce food in a way that protects water, air and soil. The Environment Agency (EA) has created new saltmarsh habitat on the Ribble Estuary at Hesketh Out Marsh and is strategically looking at other coastal realignment opportunities for both flood risk management and biodiversity net gain benefits. In 2022/23 the EA funded work with Mersey Rivers Trust investigating the nature and extent of pesticide and herbicide content within the lower reaches of the River Alt. Through Catchment Abstraction Management Strategies (CAMS) the EA also ensures the water resources of the catchments along the Ribble, Alt & Southport coast are sustainable. Southport is a priority bathing water and the EA will be taking regular water quality samples throughout the coming bathing water season, 15 May to the end of September. Funding from Defra in 2021/22 provided resource for the EA to carry out farm inspections at an additional 30 farms in the South Fylde/Ribble Estuary area. These inspections were focused on developing improvement plans to reduce diffuse pollution impacting the receiving watercourses in the area and thereby the bathing waters at Southport.

Landfill: Air Pollution

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of landfill sites on the levels of toxic air in neighbouring communities.

Rebecca Pow: Under the Environment Agency’s permitting regime, limits are set for atmospheric emissions of pollutants from permitted installations, including landfill sites. The limits are based on acceptable ambient concentrations of individual chemicals, which minimise risk to human health. The operators are responsible for monitoring to ensure compliance with permit conditions, and to alert the Environment Agency when the conditions are not being met. In the event of a specific incident or report of air quality concerns in proximity of a permitted site, the Environment Agency may conduct targeted monitoring to identify pollutant levels and investigate the concern raised. This would be undertaken on a case by case basis, and would not provide an overall assessment of the effect of landfill sites.

Landfill: Regulation

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the (a) criteria and (b) threshold is for the removal of a permit from the operators of a landfill waste site.

Rebecca Pow: The Environment Agency have powers under the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016 (Regulation 22), to revoke an environmental permit, partially or in full. The Regulations do not provide a threshold. The Environment Agency would make an evidence-based decision whether to revoke a permit. That will normally be based on the compliance history of the site operator and the risk of pollution.

Sewage: Waste Disposal

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the implications for her policies on wastewater discharge event duration monitors of the research by Jamie Woodward and others on Acute riverine microplastic contamination due to avoidable releases of untreated wastewater, published in Nature Sustainability on 13 May 2021.

Rebecca Pow: The recommendations of the paper published in Nature Sustainability in May 2021 align with our policies to reduce microplastics in the water environment and untreated wastewater releases. The Plan for Water sets out our commitments to reduce microplastics entering the water system, including our expectation for the industry to develop low cost, effective microfibre filters on washing machines and encourage their effective use. Our Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan was published in August 2022. Our strict targets will see the toughest ever crackdown on sewage spills and will require water companies to deliver the largest infrastructure programme in water company history - £56 billion capital investment over 25 years. By 2035, water companies will have to improve all storm overflows discharging into or near every designated bathing water, and improve 75% of overflows discharging to high priority nature sites. By 2050, all remaining storm overflows covered by our targets will also have to meet the new requirements on rainfall and environmental impact, regardless of location.  In March this year, Defra and Ofwat announced £1.1 billion of new investment, starting in the next two years, to eliminate 10,000 storm overflow discharges a year across 10 schemes.

Food: Labelling

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of food labelling (a) of trans fats in food and (b) generally.

Mark Spencer: The UK maintains high standards on the information that is provided on food labels, whether that be mandatory or voluntary, so that consumers can have confidence in the food that they buy. All food sold on the UK market must comply with food labelling rules. The fundamental principle of food labelling rules is that information provided to the consumer must not mislead and must enable the safe use of food. Food law provides a robust framework that protects public health and requires food businesses that produce, process, and distribute food to apply food safety controls that ensure food they place on the market is safe. An assessment of the prevalence or labelling of trans fats in food in the UK has not been recently undertaken. The most recent data from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey, collected between 2016 and 2019, show that average trans fat intakes in the UK are 0.5-0.6% of total energy intake for adults, and 0.5% for children. This is well within the UK recommended maximum of no more than 2% of total energy. Trans fat intakes in the UK have declined substantially since the 1980s and 1990s due to the voluntary removal of artificial trans fats from processed foods by the food industry; with some additional work to reduce levels of trans fats in food being undertaken between 2011 and 2013.

Eggs and Poultry

Robert Courts: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of using powers under Section 20 and 21 of the Agriculture Act 2020 to make a declaration of exceptional market conditions for the poultry and eggs sector.

Mark Spencer: We recognise that the agriculture industry, including the poultry and eggs sectors, has faced a number of challenges over the last year, particularly in relation to the increase of input costs as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, our assessment is that the conditions for intervention under Section 20 or Section 21 of the Agriculture Act are not currently met, not least because input costs are now falling. We continue to closely monitor the situation in each sector through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group and via regular, on-going sector stakeholder engagement.

Agriculture

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an estimate of the number of arable fields that were sown in each of the last five years.

Mark Spencer: Defra does not collect data at a field level, so cannot provide any estimate of the number of arable fields sown. The Rural Payment Agency does have some field level data, but it cannot be used to provide an estimate of the number of arable fields sown.

Sewage: Waste Disposal

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to increase the number of wastewater discharge event duration monitors.

Rebecca Pow: We have increased the number of storm overflows monitored with event duration monitors across the network from 7% in 2010 to 91% now, and we will reach 100% cover by end of this year. In April, we launched our consultation on Continuous Water Quality Monitoring and Event Duration Monitoring. This outlines the government’s proposals to enhance the monitoring of storm overflow and final effluent discharges and to report on this in near-real time. This consultation closes on 23 May. In May, Ofwat launched a consultation which set out measures which will see companies face penalties for failing to monitor storm overflows. This will help to drive delivery of the UK Government’s Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan by incentivising better coverage and better reporting, and are in addition to the powers that the Environment Agency already have. This consultation closes on 23 May.

Department for Business and Trade

Hospitality Industry and Tourism: Vacancies

David Warburton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she is taking with industry representatives to address labour shortages in the (a) hospitality and (b) tourism sectors.

David Warburton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent steps she has taken to help support (a) recruitment and (b) retention in the hospitality sector.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government is in regular dialogue with the hospitality and tourism sectors and is aware of the recruitment and retention challenges facing businesses. The Hospitality Sector Council is actively looking at this issue and the Hospitality and Tourism Skills Board, which comprises businesses across both sectors, is considering ways to strengthen training.We are also helping to fill vacancies through our Plan for Jobs programmes, which use work coaches to help match local talent with jobs in hospitality. Our sector-based work academy programme and flexible support fund, and various initiatives, are also encourag-ing jobseekers to look for opportunities in the sector. In addition, on 1 April 2023, the Gov-ernment increased the National Living Wage by 9.7% to £10.42.The Government is also supporting six Private Member’s Bills which will improve workers’ rights and encourage more people into work. The Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act has now achieved Royal Assent meaning more than 2 million workers will have their tips protected when the measures come into force. This package of Bills will help new parents, unpaid carers, hospitality workers, and give employees better access to flexible working.The Government is continuing to improve apprenticeships, making them more flexible and making it easier for employers to make greater use of their levy funds. The catering and hospitality sector serves up a host of different apprenticeships in restaurants, cafés, pubs, bars, nightclubs and hotels, including for example chef de partie.

Post Office: Finance

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, when her Department received a copy of the Post Office's financial statements for 2021-22.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Department received Post Office Limited’s Annual Report and Consolidated Financial Statements 2021/22 on 25 January 2023 for laying in Parliament on 23 February 2023.A clarification to the 2021/22 Annual Report and Accounts was published by Post Office on 5 May 2023. On 11 May 2023, Minister Hollinrake wrote to the Chair of the Business and Trade Committee enclosing Post Office’s statement regarding the clarification. A copy of Post Office’s statement will be placed in the Library of the House of Commons.

Conditions of Employment: EU Law

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Written Statement of 10 May 2023, HCWS764 on Regulatory Reform Update, what steps she plans to take to improve employment law.

Kevin Hollinrake: We have identified several regulations where we see opportunities for improvements following our exit from the EU, including the Working Time Regulations and Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment), or ‘TUPE’, Regulations. We will reduce time-consuming reporting requirements under the Working Time Regulations, which could save employers around £1bn a year. We are also simplifying annual leave and holiday pay calculations in the Working Time Regulations, and streamlining regulations that apply when a business transfers to a new owner. These proposals do not seek to remove rights, but instead remove unnecessary bureaucracy in the way those rights operate, allowing business to benefit from the additional freedoms we have through Brexit. The consultation on these proposals can be found here.

Conditions of Employment: EU Law

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to the Written Statement of 10 May 2023, HCWS764 on Regulatory Reform Update, who she plans to consult on proposed changes to employment law.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government has launched a consultation on three areas of retained EU employment law to ensure that they are tailored to the needs of the UK economy while ensuring that workers’ rights continue to be protected. The consultation is available on GOV.UK, and will run until 7 July 2023. The three areas we are consulting on are:Record keeping requirements under the Working Time Regulations;Simplifying annual leave and holiday pay calculations in the Working Time Regulations; andConsultation requirements under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment), or ‘TUPE’, Regulations.

Import duties: Russia

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, with reference to paragraph 5.31 of the Autumn Statement 2022, CP751, published on 17 November 2022, whether the two-year suspension of certain tariffs applies to goods of Russian origin.

Nigel Huddleston: Following the illegal invasion of Ukraine, the Government announced a punitive regime of 35 percentage point additional tariffs on imports of Russian and Belarusian origin. This continues to apply in addition to any tariff changes, including the suspensions announced on 17 November 2022. As punitive additional tariffs continue to apply on the goods subject to two-year suspensions, Russia will not be able to benefit from measures derived from an international trading system it does not respect.

Small Businesses

Richard Thomson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if she will make an assessment of the potential contribution of a think small first policy to achieving the target of exporting over a trillion pounds of goods and services annually by 2030.

Nigel Huddleston: As set out in the Export Strategy the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) is working in partnership with UK exporters to reach a trillion pounds of UK exports annually by 2030, with UK exports reaching £843bn in March this year. As part of this, DBT utilises company-level data to segment and tailor its support based on where a business is at on their export journey. This includes our self-serve digital offer and the Export Academy, which provides training and guidance to ensure businesses across the UK, especially SMEs, have the capability and knowledge to prosper in international markets.

Paternity Leave

Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent steps her Department has taken to improve access to paternity leave.

Kevin Hollinrake: As set out in the 2019 Manifesto, the Government is committed to making Paternity Leave easier to take. In 2019 the Government consulted on high-level options for reforming parental leave and pay. We are currently considering responses to the consultation and will respond in due course.

Cabinet Office

Import Controls

Greg Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether he plans to publish guidance for businesses on the Border Target Operating Model.

Greg Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of the costs to business of preparing for the implementation of the Border Target Operating Model.

Greg Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment has been made of the potential impact on supply chains of implementing the Border Target Operating Model.

Greg Smith: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the timescales for businesses to prepare for the implementation of the Border Target Operating Model.

Alex Burghart: The government published the draft Border Target Operating Model in April. This sets out plans to introduce security and biosecurity controls from 31 October in a way which implements critical protections at the UK border, while ensuring these new controls are as simple as possible for businesses to comply with.The relevant business stakeholders informed us before publication that they will need time to prepare for these changes, and our phased approach to implementation is designed to give them this time. We are working closely with businesses to get this right - the current period of engagement helps us to gather views on our draft proposals from businesses in the UK and overseas, to explore the costs of implementing the new model, and to ensure importing is as smooth as possible where checks are needed. The cost of preparing for regulatory change will vary from business to business, however the Government is working closely with businesses to help them understand what they need to do. We are also using the engagement period to ensure that UK and international businesses and their supply chains are aware of and understand the new requirements and are ready for these changes. We will publish a final version of the Border Target Operating Model, providing further detail where needed, in the summer.

Refugees: Afghanistan

John Healey: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 2 May to question 182778 on Refugees: Afghanistan, on what dates the Minister for Veterans' Affairs met other ministers on Afghan resettlement since 2 February 2023.

Johnny Mercer: It has been the standard practice of successive Administrations not to publish granular information relating to ministerial meetings. I remain committed to engaging with colleagues across government to support Afghans who have been resettled in the UK to access independent accommodation.

Department for Education

National Education Union: Industrial Disputes

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with the National Education Union on industrial action by its members.

Nick Gibb: The Government and the education trade unions took part in a period of intensive talks between 17 March and 23 March, where ministers and officials spent over 200 combined hours working with the unions to reach an agreed position. An in principle offer was made of a one-off payment of £1,000 for this year, and a 4.5% pay award for 2023/24, alongside a range of non pay offers.It is disappointing that the education trade unions rejected this offer, and that the National Education Union has since organised two strike days in April and May, with three more due to take place in June or July. Final decisions on teachers’ pay for next year will now be made following the independent pay review process.The Department recognises teachers’ invaluable work. This is why the Department implemented the recommendations of the independent School Teachers’ Review Body for this academic year. This gave teachers the highest pay award in 30 years, going up to 8.9% for new teachers, alongside a 5% award for experienced teachers and leaders.The Government is on track to deliver a £30,000 starting salary for teachers as per the manifesto commitment, ensuring teaching is a financially competitive career option within the graduate labour market. The Department has already increased teachers’ starting salaries to £28,000 this year. This year, the Department expects around 40% of classroom teachers to receive pay rises through progression or promotion, of between 8.5% - 15.9%. For experienced classroom teachers at the top of the pay scale, roughly a third of our classroom teachers, there is a strong starting salary with earnings of at least £43,685. Average classroom teacher pay of £39,500 remains significantly above the national average for full time employees, sitting within the top 40% of earners.There is also a strong pay package for head teachers. The average primary head teacher earns £67,400, whilst the average secondary head teacher earns £94,900. These average salaries are in the top 10% of earners (full time employees in England).Alongside this, teachers benefit from a Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) which is significantly more generous than the private sector average, with a 23.6% employer contribution in the public sector Defined Benefit schemes. The TPS is a defined benefit scheme, which means that members receive a guaranteed, index linked income in retirement. The TPS has a generous employer contribution element, provides insurance benefits, and is underwritten by HM Treasury. The TPS exists as a valuable incentive to enter teaching and a significant inducement for continuing in service. It compares very favourably with private sector pension schemes and most other forms of investment.For the average classroom teacher on a £39,500 salary, the total remuneration package including the 23.6% employer pension contribution is worth £48,800.We are committed to do more to ensure teaching remains an attractive profession. This includes tax free bursaries worth up to £27,000 and tax-free scholarships worth up to £29,000, to encourage talented trainees to train in key subjects such as chemistry, computing, mathematics and physics.We have also introduced a Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 tax-free for maths, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in their first five years, who work in disadvantaged schools.This is part of a wider package of new measures to make teaching in England even more attractive to the best teachers and trainee teachers from around the world.

Department for Education: Advertising

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much her Department has spent on radio adverts in the last five years broken down by radio station.

Nick Gibb: The Department regularly uses local and national radio as part of the behaviour change and public information campaigns used to deliver manifesto commitments and policy objectives, with the aim of reaching a variety of target audiences across England.Examples of this include helping the Department to recruit school and college teachers, promoting free childcare to parents and increasing the uptake of skills bootcamps to help adults to gain the skills in demand by businesses.Radio is a powerful channel to reach a variety of audiences including young people, pupils, parents and businesses. However, the Department’s financial records do not record the breakdown of campaign spend between radio, television, digital or other media channels and so records of spend on individual radio stations are not held.As set out in previous written parliamentary question responses and freedom of information (FOI) requests, over the previous five years, the Department has spent the following, in total, on campaigns including different types of marketing activity, some of which was radio advertising:2018/19 - £27.2 million*2019/20 - £33.3 million*2020/21 - £20.5 million*2021/22 - £25.7 million*2022/23 - £39.5 millionTo note: * denotes that this information has already been released in a written parliamentary question response or FOI response.

Schools: Finance

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that schools are able to purchase all the classroom resources they need.

Nick Gibb: The Government is committed to providing a world class education system for all children. The Autumn Statement 2022 announced additional funding of £2 billion in 2023/24 and 2024/25, over and above totals announced at the 2021 Spending Review. This means funding for mainstream schools and high needs is £3.5 billion higher in 2023/24, compared to 2022/23. That is on top of the £4 billion, year on year increase provided in 2022/23. This represents an increase of £7.5 billion, or over 15%, in just two years.​Total funding for both mainstream schools and high needs will total £58.8 billion in 2024/25, the highest ever level in real terms per pupil. After accounting for the new pay offers in 2023, the Institute for Fiscal Studies estimates that school funding is still growing faster than school costs.​In addition to this core revenue funding, schools receive funding through a number of separate streams. This includes the Universal Infant Free School Meals funding, the recovery premium and the National Tutoring Programme to support education recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic.​The Department also has a capital budget of £7 billion for 2023/24, which funds a range of programmes for schools, such as the school rebuilding programme. Information about this programme is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-rebuilding-programme.​This additional funding will enable head teachers to continue to spend money in the areas that have a positive effect on educational attainment, including high quality teaching and targeted support to the children who need it most, as well as to help schools to manage higher costs.​The Department’s Schools Resource Management offer includes a free range of practical tools and information to help all schools unlock efficiencies on, for example, how to save money on regular purchases such as classroom resources.

Schools: Greater London

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she has taken to provide support for (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in London which have seen an increase in the number of pupils who are asylum seekers since 2021.

Nick Gibb: The Government is committed to providing a world class education system for all pupils and has invested significantly in education to achieve that.All pupils, regardless of immigration status, are entitled to education between the ages of 5 to 16 and are free to apply for a school place at any time.Asylum seeker pupils attract funding to their school in the same way as all other pupils. This is allocated through the schools National Funding Formula. In April 2022, the Department also permanently extended free school meal (FSM) and pupil premium eligibility to include pupils in households with no recourse to public funds, which includes children of asylum seekers. This approach to funding ensures that asylum seeker pupils attract the same basic per pupil funding amount as other pupils and any additional funding related to asylum seeking pupils’ specific needs and characteristics, such as pupils eligible for FSM, pupils with English as an additional language, and socioeconomic disadvantage.

Relationships and Sex Education

Nick Fletcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when she will publish the membership of the independent panel which will inform the review of the relationships, sex, and health education guidance; and what steps she will take to ensure that the views of faith groups are represented on that panel.

Nick Gibb: The Department is in the process of identifying the members for an independent expert panel to inform the wider review of the Relationships, Sex and Health Education statutory guidance. The Department expects the process to be completed shortly and will then make public more details of the panel and their work. The Department will ensure that the views of faith groups are represented in the review process.

Classroom Assistants and Teachers: Pay

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to provide above-inflation pay increases for teachers and school support staff.

Nick Gibb: The Department recognises teachers’ invaluable work in shaping future generations. This is why last year teachers were given the highest pay award in 30 years, up to 8.9% for new teachers, alongside a 5% award for experienced teachers and headteachers.Looking to the next academic year, pay rises for teachers in 2023/24 must strike a careful balance between recruiting and retaining the best teachers and recognising their vital importance, alongside considering both affordability for schools and the wider economic context. On 21 February 2023, the Department published its written evidence to the School Teachers’ Review Body, giving its views and inputs to help them form their recommendations for teachers’ pay this year.The Government provided funding for both mainstream schools and high needs, including the additional funding announced at the Autumn Statement 2022, which is £3.5 billion higher in 2023/24, compared to 2022/23. This will total £58.8 billion in 2024/25, the highest ever level in real terms per pupil. The Government provided these increases to school revenue budgets so that schools can cover cost increases in the year ahead, including teacher pay.The Department knows challenges to recruitment and retention vary from subject to subject based on the demand in each area. Therefore, in addition to pay, there are several measures in place to tackle this, including: bursaries worth up to £27,000; scholarships worth up to £29,000 to encourage talented trainees to apply to train in key subjects such as chemistry, computing, mathematics, and physics; £20,000 tax-free bursary for biology trainees in 2023/24; reintroduction of a £15,000 tax-free bursary for English trainees in 2023/24 and a Levelling Up Premium worth up to £3,000 tax-free for mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing teachers in the first five years of their careers who choose to work in disadvantaged schools.The Government’s education reforms gave schools freedom to make their own decisions about budgets. For most staff, including teaching assistants, schools have the freedom to recruit according to their own circumstances and set pay and conditions.Many schools pay teaching assistants according to Local Government pay scales. These are set through negotiations between the Local Government Association, which represents the employer, and Local Government trade unions (UNISON, Unite, and the GMB), which represent the employee. Central Government does not have any formal role in these matters.

Classroom Assistants: Pay

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether it is her Department's policy that any future pay increases for school staff will not come from existing school budgets.

Nick Gibb: Funding for mainstream schools and high needs, including the additional funding announced at the Autumn Statement 2022, is £3.5 billion higher in 2023/24 compared to 2022/23. Funding for both mainstream schools and high needs will total £58.8 billion in 2024/25, the highest ever level in real terms per pupil. After accounting for the new pay offers in 2023, the Institute for Fiscal Studies estimates that school funding is still growing faster than school costs.In addition to this core revenue funding, schools receive funding through a number of separate streams, including: the pupil premium, worth £2.9 billion in 2023/24 to support disadvantaged pupils; Universal Infant Free School Meals funding; and the recovery premium and the National Tutoring Programme to support education recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic.The Department provides these increases to school revenue budgets so that schools can cover cost increases in the year ahead, including to teacher pay.The Department also has a capital budget of £7 billion for 2023/24, which funds a range of programmes for schools, such as the school rebuilding programme. Information about this particular programme is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/school-rebuilding-programme.In February 2023, the Department set out its best assessment of teachers’ pay affordability to the School Teachers’ Review Body, so that they could make an informed independent decision on the pay award. The Department’s approach reflected some of the continued uncertainty around areas like energy costs, as this is a particularly important consideration this year. The written evidence acknowledged that there were circumstances where a pay award in excess of 3.5% might become affordable, on average, for schools. In particular, if energy prices drop significantly. This would provide scope for additional spending in areas which will further benefit pupils, including a higher pay award.In March, the Government offered teachers a £1,000 payment on top of this year's pay rise, a commitment to cut workload by five hours per week, and a headline pay increase of 4.5% for next year. The offer included further funding of around £620 million in 2023/24, including a grant of £530 million for the one-off payment, as set out here: https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2023/03/28/teacher-strikes-latest-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-teacher-pay-offer/.By taking into account the Government’s most up-to-date assumptions for both energy prices and support staff pay for 2023/24, it calculates that a 4% teacher pay award should be affordable within existing funding. This includes the overall £3.5 billion funding increase schools are seeing this year, thanks to the additional £2 billion funding announced at the 2022 Autumn Statement. The Government’s judgement of the affordability of teacher pay increases is, as usual, based on national figures, which equate to the position for an average school.The additional £620 million offered as part of the pay offer would have covered the remaining 0.5% of the 4.5% pay offer, meaning that the pay offer would have been fully funded as per the Department’s national calculations. The Office for Statistics Regulation has confirmed that the Department has set out how it has reached this conclusion transparently, in line with its regulatory guidance on statements about public funding.Following unions’ rejection of the offer, the teachers’ pay award for 2023 will now be decided through the independent pay review body process, as usual. The Department’s position remains that a 4% teacher pay award should be affordable, nationally, from the funding increases already promised to schools.As usual, schools should plan for how teacher pay awards could be managed within this existing funding. It would be sensible for schools to consider the range of possible scenarios on pay that might materialise and what the implications would be for their individual school.

Teachers: Lancashire

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the number of teachers in Lancashire who have left the profession in the last (a) one, (b) two and (c) five years.

Nick Gibb: One of the Department’s priorities is to ensure that it continues to attract, retain and develop highly skilled teachers to inspire the next generation.As at November 2021, the latest data available, there were 465,500 full time equivalent (FTE) teachers working in state funded schools in England, of which 9,600 were in Lancashire. This is an increase of 4,400 since the previous year, and an increase of 170 in Lancashire.Information on the school workforce, including the number of teachers leaving service nationally, is published in the ‘School Workforce in England’ statistical publication, which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.The table below provides the FTE number of qualified teachers leaving, and the leaving rate, from state funded schools in Lancashire Local Authority and England, for the 2016/17 to 2020/21 academic years, which is the latest data available.FTE qualified teachers leaving and leaving rate1 from state funded schoolsAs at November 2016 to 2020: Lancashire England LeaversLeaving rateLeaversLeaving rate2020/2126587.0%36,2628.1%2019/207027.5%32,2497.3%2018/197838.4%41,1509.4%2017/188659.5%43,1029.8%2016/171,03711.1%46,66710.6%Source: School Workforce Census1Leaving rate is the number of leavers divided by the total number of qualified teachers in post in November each year.2For example, 2020/21 leavers are those who left service between November 2020 and November 2021.Leavers are defined as qualified teachers leaving the state funded sector in England, for example due to a change of career or joining other UK education sectors and those leaving on career breaks, such as maternity leave or secondments outside of the school sector. Some of these teachers may re-join a state funded school in England at a later date.Almost 9 in 10 (87.5%) teachers who qualified in 2020 were still teaching one year after qualification, and just over two thirds (68.8%) of teachers who started teaching five years ago are still teaching.The Department provides bursaries worth up to £27,000 and scholarships worth up to £29,000 to encourage talented trainees to key subjects such as mathematics, physics, chemistry, and computing for those starting teacher training in 2023/24.Through the Department’s Levelling Up Premium, specialist teachers in the first 5 years of their career will be able to receive up to £3,000 tax-free each year from 2022/23 to 2024/25.The Department has made good progress towards raising starting salaries to £30,000, with all new teachers to earn at least £28,000 from September, an 8.9% uplift, alongside a 5% pay award for more experienced teachers and leaders.The Department is taking action to improve teacher quality and pupil outcomes by transforming the training and support we provide for teachers. The Department will deliver 500,000 teacher training and development opportunities by 2024, giving all teachers and school leaders access to world class, evidence based training and professional development at every stage of their career, including providing specialist training to drive better literacy through a new National Professional Qualification for Leading Literacy and a new National Professional Qualification for Early Years Leadership.

Children: Social Services

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department will respond to the Competition and Markets Authority report entitled Children's social care market study, published on 10 March 2022.

Claire Coutinho: On 2 February 2023, the government published 'Stable Homes, Built on Love', an implementation strategy which responds to the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care, as well as the National Panel review into the tragic murders of Arthur Labinjo-Hughes and Star Hobson, and the Competition and Markets Authority Study into Children’s Social Care placements.The ‘Stable Homes, Built on Love’ strategy can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1147317/Children_s_social_care_stable_homes_consultation_February_2023.pdf.The Independent Review of Children’s Social Care can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1141532/Independent_review_of_children_s_social_care_-_Final_report.pdf.The National Panel review on child protection report can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1078488/ALH_SH_National_Review_26-5-22.pdf.The Children’s social care market study can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1059575/Final_report.pdf.These reviews made a case for extensive reforms across children’s social care, and the department has carefully considered all recommendations. The government has accepted the overwhelming majority of recommendations from these three reviews and published a response to each within ‘Stable homes, Built on Love’.An overview of the Competition and Markets Authority report recommendations and government’s response to these recommendations, can be found at Annex 5 of the strategy.

Treasury

Sanitary Protection: VAT

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an impact assessment of the effect that the removal of VAT on period products has had on the cost of those products.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department has taken to monitor the impact that the removal of VAT on period products has on the cost of those products in shops.

Victoria Atkins: While the Government does not control prices, a VAT relief is able to contribute to the conditions for price reductions. Women’s period products, including tampons and pads and reusable menstrual products, were previously subject to VAT at a 5 per cent rate. The Government kept its promise to remove the VAT and zero rated these products with effect from January 2021. This was to ensure that every woman that needs period protection during their monthly cycle has access to a variety of zero-rated products, potentially benefiting an estimated 18 million women. The Government is looking into whether this important zero-rating is being passed on by retailers to women as intended.

Blood: Contamination

Dame Diana Johnson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has held meetings with the devolved Administrations on the infected blood (a) inquiry and (b) compensation framework since 1 January 2023.

John Glen: As the Minister for the Cabinet Office set out in his answers of 24 April and 10 May, the Government is committed to liaising with the Devolved Administrations on this issue, and this has continued at official level by the Cabinet Office following the close joint working that supported the delivery of interim compensation in October last year.

Ministry of Justice

Child Trust Fund: Disability

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of (a) the number of disabled young people who will be unable to access their Child Trust Fund savings without a Court of Protection application and (b) the total value of savings in the accounts of those disabled young people by the time all accounts have matured in 2029.

Mike Freer: Disability can be physical or mental. Many young people with a disability will have mental capacity and be able to access all savings in their Child Trust Fund without a Court of Protection application.The Department does not collect figures on the number of Child Trust Funds held by individuals with a disability that requires them to make a Court of Protection application.The total value of savings in the accounts of those disabled young people by the time all accounts have matured in 2029 is not information held by this Department.

Employment Tribunals Service

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of adopting the proposals of the Senior President of Tribunals to have employment cases heard by a single judge by default.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment has he made of the adequacy of the diversity of panel members who hear Employment Tribunal cases.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to review the operation of employment tribunals.

Mike Freer: The Senior President of Tribunals has published a consultation seeking views on proposals for the composition of panels in the Employment Tribunals. This will help inform his decisions on the future arrangements for panel composition in the Employment Tribunals, when he becomes responsible for them when the provisions of the Judicial Review and Courts Act 2022 are brought into effect. This will bring the arrangements for Employment Tribunals into line with those that apply to the tribunals in the Unified Tribunal Structure.The Ministry of Justice publishes annual statistics on the diversity of the judiciary. The most recent statistics, published in July 2022, can be found at the following link and includes comprehensive data on the age, ethnicity, gender of judges and non-legal members of tribunals.https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/diversity-of-the-judiciary-2022-statisticsThe Ministry of Justice, as a member of the Judicial Diversity Forum (JDF), works closely with the judiciary, the Judicial Appointments Commission, the Legal Services Board and the legal professions to take actions to increase judicial diversity. The Ministry of Justice keeps the operation and performance of the Employment Tribunals under regular review. We are working closely with the Department for Business and Trade on measures to increase capacity, reduce demand and improve the efficiency of the employment dispute system.

Ministry of Defence

Trade

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of the recommendations of the report of the Committee on Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development on Safeguarding democracy, rights and the environment in international trade, which was adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 27 April 2023.

James Cartlidge: Council of Europe Resolution 2496 (2023) asks Member States to use their international trade negotiations to achieve wider objectives on human rights, the environment, and democratic norms. The Ministry of Defence is supporting the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Department for Business and Trade that lead on the UK’s international trade policy.

Arborfield Garrison: Sales

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the date on which Arborfield Garrison was disposed of.

James Cartlidge: Arborfield Garrison was transferred to Crest Nicholson PLC in 2014 under a Land Sales Delivery Partnership agreement. Development of 2,000 homes on the site by Crest Nicholson PLC began in 2015 and is programmed to be completed by 2027.

Ukraine: Military Aid

Robert Courts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the air mobility fleet has been engaged in the movement of equipment and supplies to Ukraine since 1 December 2022.

James Cartlidge: We are one of the leading providers of military support for Ukraine and were the first country to donate modern main battle tanks and long-range precision strike missiles. In addition, we have provided millions of rounds of ammunition, hundreds of armoured and protected mobility vehicles and other equipment.Across hundreds of flights delivering this support in the last year, the entire Air Mobility Force has been engaged in the movement of equipment, supplies and trained Ukrainian recruits.

Armed Forces: Housing

Dave Doogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many and what proportion of armed forces accommodation units have been empty for each of the last five years.

James Cartlidge: The table below portrays how many and what proportion of Service Family Accommodation have been void (empty) in each of the last five years: DateDecember 2018December 2019December 2020December 2021December 2022Voids11,61010,2669,7929,4049,075%23.37%20.75%19.91%19.37%18.93%

Ministry of Defence: Data Protection

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many personal data breaches among suppliers contracted by his Department were reported to his Department in each year since 2020.

James Cartlidge: Defence promotes a culture of reporting incidents, no matter how trivial. 32 personal data incidents have been reported to the Defence Industry Warning, Advisory and Reporting Point (WARP) by Ministry of Defence (MOD) contracted suppliers in the period from 2020 to 2023. This is broken down as follows: YearNumber of personal data incidents reported to the Defence Industry WARP2023 to date520226202111202010 While the Defence Industry WARP takes the lead in the vast majority of incidents reported by MOD contracted suppliers, there are 16 other WARPs across the Department who may potentially hold information in scope of the right hon. Members’s question. However, it will not be possible to complete these checks in the time available. I will write to update the right hon. Member on the figures if any personal data incidents have been reported by Industry to one of the 16 other WARPS.

A400M Aircraft: Procurement

Robert Courts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an estimate of the number of (a) task lines the A400M fleet has been able to offer and (b) planned task line availability for each of the last 12 months.

Robert Courts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will make an estimate of the number of (a) task lines the C130J fleet has been able to offer and (b) planned task line availability for each of the last 12 months.

Robert Courts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of the task line availability offered by C130J will be replaced by A400M on a one-for-one basis by 30 June 2023.

James Cartlidge: Whilst the Hercules C-130J fleet will continue to drawdown, a number of the aircraft have sufficient remaining flying hours to enable an extended drawdown to 30 June 2023, maximising use of the fleet. Atlas availability is being actively managed. There has been a steady improvement in aircraft availability and fleet resilience. Following direct intervention and a determined improvement campaign, the daily aircraft availability is approximately 25% greater compared to 18-months ago. A number of Atlas airframes will complete upgrade before the summer, adding to the available fleet.

Department for Work and Pensions

Department for Work and Pensions: Holiday Leave

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications of the Employment Appeal Tribunal ruling in the 2017 case of Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council v Willetts & Ors for the calculation of holiday pay entitlement for staff in her Department; and if he will make a statement.

Mims Davies: The DWP is committed to making statutory holiday payments in respect of relevant overtime payments to colleagues and significant work is being undertaken to implement a solution to include relevant overtime payments in holiday pay calculations for affected staff. We are working at pace with our payroll provider and other partners and whilst progress is being made, I acknowledge this is taking longer than expected and understand that the delay is causing concern. We will confirm to colleagues when it is able to implement the anticipated changes. Finally, I would like to reassure you that the Department is doing all that it can to implement a solution as soon as is practicable.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Fraud and error in the benefit system Financial Year Ending (FYE) 2023 statistical release, published on 11 May 2023, what information his Department holds on how much of the £6.4 billion overpayment due to fraud in the benefits system in 2022-23 can be attributed to organised crime.

Tom Pursglove: The department’s view is that serious and organised crime accounts for only a small minority of the total fraud reported for 2022/23, with the vast majority being individual claimants who have misrepresented their own personal circumstances. The department has a strong counter-fraud function, which includes specifically targeting serious and organised crime, including cyber-crime, which identifies and stops illegal activity and saves money for the taxpayer. Current estimates are that serious and organised crime accounts for no more than 5% of the £6.4 billion of benefit fraud reported in the 2022/23 statistics, as it is most likely captured in the Abroad and Conditions of Entitlement (Identity) categories of fraud reported there.

Universal Credit: Underpayments

Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Fraud and error in the benefit system Financial Year Ending (FYE) 2023 statistical release, published on 11 May 2023, what information his Department holds on how much of the £680 million underpaid to Universal Credit recipients in 2022-23 was underpaid to households claiming the limited capability for work element or the limited capability for work and work-related activity element.

Tom Pursglove: The total amount underpaid on Universal Credit in the FYE 2023 was estimated to be £680m (with a confidence interval of (£550m, £810m)). We estimate that £100m (with a confidence interval of (£50m, £160m)) was underpaid to households claiming the limited capability for work element, or the limited capability for work and work-related activity element. The department’s fraud and error statistics are based on a sample of benefit reviews that are carried out throughout the year, therefore there is a level of uncertainty that is associated with them. The figures quoted in this publication are the central estimates, which are calculated from the sample. A range around the central estimates, called a confidence interval, is also calculated. This expresses the uncertainty associated with the central estimate.

Social Security Benefits: Chronic Illnesses and Disability

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 04 May to Question 182901 on Social Security Benefits: Chronic Illnesses and Disability, if he will publish copies of the consultation responses.

Tom Pursglove: We responded to the results of the Green Paper consultation through Transforming Support: The Health and Disability White Paper on 15th March 2023. The White Paper explains what we heard and how the responses to our Green Paper consultation shaped the development of our proposals. As this is set out in the White Paper, we have no plans to publish the responses to the consultation further to this.

State Retirement Pensions: Uprating

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to take steps to increase state pension rates for (a) men born before 6th April 1951 and (b) women born before 6 April 1953.

Laura Trott: In April, the full basic State Pension, for people reaching State Pension age before 6 April 2016, was increased by 10.1% to £156.20 per week. This is the highest ever increase in the State Pension and means that the basic State Pension has increased by over £3,000 in cash terms since 2010. In addition to the basic State Pension, most people reaching State Pension age before 6 April 2016 will also either receive an amount of additional State Pension or have benefitted from membership of a contracted-out private pension. Rates of additional State Pension also increased by 10.1% in April 2023.

National Insurance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the change to the national insurance credit system from a manual to automated system on the accuracy of NI figures distributed to recipients.

Guy Opperman: HMRC are responsible for the National Insurance Recording System.

Disability: Costs

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Scope report entitled Disability Price Tag 2023: the extra cost of disability, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of that report's findings on additional costs for disabled households.

Tom Pursglove: There have been many studies estimating the costs of disability, including the Scope report. The findings vary due to the definitions of disability and the method being used. The Government understands the pressures people, including those who are disabled, are facing with the cost of living and has taken further, decisive action to support people with their energy bills. We are providing extensive support to disabled people, and those with a long term health condition, to help them live independent lives. In 2023/24, we will spend around £78.6bn on benefits to support disabled people and people with health conditions in Great Britain. In April, we uprated benefit rates and State Pensions by 10.1%. In order to increase the number of households who can benefit from these uprating decisions, the benefit cap levels are also increasing by the same amount. In addition, for 2023/24, households on eligible means-tested benefits will get up to £900 in Cost of Living Payments. This will be split into three payments across the 2023/24 financial year, with the first payment of £301 being made between 25 April and 17 May. A separate £150 payment will be made to individuals in receipt of eligible disability benefits in the summer. Further to this, the Energy Price Guarantee will be extended from April 2023 until the end of March 2024, meaning a typical household bill will be around £2,500 per year in Great Britain. The Household Support Fund will continue until March 2024. This year long extension allows local authorities in England to continue to provide discretionary support to those most in need with the significantly rising cost of living. The guidance for local authorities for this next iteration has now been published and can be found here: 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024: Household Support Fund guidance for county councils and unitary authorities in England - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The devolved administrations will receive consequential funding as usual to spend at their discretion.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Energy Company Obligation

Ben Everitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to (a) promote the Great British Insulation Scheme to consumers and (b) ensure that 300,000 homes are insulated each year for the next three years.

Graham Stuart: The Government is working with obligated energy suppliers to allow consumers to check their eligibility for the Great British Insulation Scheme, and refer themselves to it where appropriate. The Government aims to launch a new GOV.UK service this summer. The Government estimates that around 300,000 homes will be insulated over the three-year course of the Great British Insulation Scheme. Scheme targets will be set in legislation by summer 2023.

Heat Pumps: Investment

Mrs Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed Clean Heat Market Mechanism on investment in heat pump production by UK-based businesses.

Graham Stuart: The Government supports an expansion of UK heat pump manufacturing and has set out an ambition for a thirty-fold increase in the number made and sold in the UK each year. The Government recently launched a £30 million Heat Pump Manufacturing Investment Accelerator Competition to complement the support offered by the new capital allowances announced in this year’s Spring Budget. The Government is publishing a policy framework, including the Clean Heat Market Mechanism, to give clarity around the scale of the UK heat pump market.

Heat Pumps: Finance

Mrs Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effect of the use of funds levied as a result of missed targets through the proposed Clean Heat Market Mechanism on (a) investment in manufacturing of and (b) support for homeowners for purchasing heat pumps.

Graham Stuart: In the consultation, the Government has proposed proportionate and realistic targets for the Clean Heat Market Mechanism, along with a set of other flexibility options for scheme participants. The Government is confident that all market actors will be able to meet the scheme targets, avoiding the need to make payments in lieu. If companies do choose to make any such payments, these will go to the Government’s Consolidated Account.

Manufacturing Industries: Renewable Energy

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the findings of the Aldersgate Group report entitled A Zero-Carbon Power Grid and the Electrification of Heavy Industry: how to deliver on a twin challenge, published on 27 April 2023.

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of Aldersgate Group report entitled A Zero-Carbon Power Grid and the Electrification of Heavy Industry: how to deliver on a twin challenge, published on 27 April 2023.

Graham Stuart: The Government welcomes Aldersgate Group’s report on this important topic. Electrification of industry is key to decarbonisation. The Government provides grants for fuel switching through the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund and the Industrial Fuel Switching Competition. This year, the Government will publish a Call for Evidence on enabling industrial electrification. The 2023 Powering Up Britain Plan outlined plans to decarbonise the power generation sector, including how networks act as energy transition enablers. Ofgem has accelerated £20bn worth of network projects, and a review of system and network regulation is underway to ensure the regulatory framework is fit for the future.

Warm Home Discount Scheme: Raynaud's Phenomenon

Derek Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending eligibility for the Warm Home Discount to people with Reynaud’s.

Amanda Solloway: The Warm Home Discount prioritises people who are most at risk of being in fuel poverty. Fuel poverty is a combination of low incomes and high energy costs, so the scheme is targeted at those on means tested benefits whose homes are expensive to heat. People with Reynaud’s do not automatically fall into that category. These households may be able to speak to their energy supplier about being added to their Priority Services Register, which provides additional support for vulnerable households, such as priority support in an emergency.

Energy: Conservation

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he plans to take to use smart meters to reduce peak time electricity demands.

Amanda Solloway: Smart meters are making our energy system more efficient and flexible, helping us manage electricity demand at peak times. The half-hourly energy consumption information from smart meters is enabling innovative products and services for consumers such as ‘time of use’ tariffs, which offer cheaper rates when demand is low or when there is excess clean electricity available. Smart meters have enabled National Grid ESO’s Demand Flexibility Service. This had positive results through savings to households in the form of reduced energy bills, and reduced energy usage during peak times which helped to balance the electricity network last winter. The ESO is currently undertaking a review to inform the future evolution of the Demand Flexibility Service.

Energy Intensive Industries: Energy Bills Discount Scheme

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending the definition of businesses eligible for the Energy and Trade Intensive Industries discount to include the IT industry.

Amanda Solloway: The Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS) review assessed a range of qualitative and quantitative evidence and contributions from businesses and other stakeholders, on sectors that may be most affected by price increases based on energy and trade intensity (ETII). To qualify as an ETII sector, the sector had to be above the 80th percentile for energy intensity and the 60th percentile for trade intensity. The IT industry does not meet these criteria and is therefore not included in the ETII scheme. The new Energy Bill Discount Scheme will provide a baseline discount to all eligible non-domestic customers, including the IT industry, until 2024. The unit discount is capped at £19.61/MW for electricity, and £6.97/MW for gas.

Energy Bills Rebate: Mental Capacity

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department is taking steps to support people in local authority funded nursing homes who lack mental capacity and do not have anyone with power of attorney to access energy support schemes.

Amanda Solloway: Partially or wholly self-funded care home residents are eligible to apply for support under the Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding. Family members, friends, and carers of eligible care home residents can apply on their behalf if they do not have the mental capacity to do so, as long as the residents’ details are provided. If applying through the contact centre, eligible residents can also provide verbal consent for trusted individuals to apply on their behalf.

North Seas Energy Cooperation

Alyn Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether it is his Department’s policy to seek closer collaboration with the North Seas Energy Cooperation beyond the terms of the NSEC-UK Memorandum of Understanding, published on 18 December 2022.

Alyn Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether it is his Department’s policy to become a full member of the North Seas Energy Cooperation.

Graham Stuart: The UK is working closely with North Seas Energy Cooperation (NSEC) states following my signing of the MOU in December. The UK is not seeking to become a full member.

Energy Price Guarantee

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent discussions he has had with Ofgem on the potential impact of trends in the level of wholesale gas prices on the price of energy for domestic consumers.

Amanda Solloway: Ministers and officials meet regularly with Ofgem to discuss a range of issues including the operation of the wholesale market and gas prices. The Government expects to see changes in wholesale prices reflected in retail prices, in accordance with how suppliers have purchased their wholesale supplies. For default tariffs, changes in wholesale prices will be reflected when Ofgem updates the level of the price cap.

Heat Pumps

Mrs Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the proposed Clean Heat Market Mechanism on (a) jobs, (b) inward investment and (c) homeowners.

Graham Stuart: The Department estimates that developing the UK heat pump market to 600,000 installations per year will support over 30,000 futureproof low-carbon jobs by 2028. The Clean Heat Market Mechanism is a key part of the policy framework that the Government is bringing forward to support this expansion of the heat pump market. The Government anticipates significant investment opportunity in this growing market for both domestic-origin and inward investors. As the market for heat pumps expands, the Government expects to see improvement in the range and affordability of consumer propositions related to heat pump installations available to UK home- and building-owners.

Renewable Energy

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps he is taking to (a) enable and (b) promote community energy projects.

Graham Stuart: The Government’s approach to community energy is set out in the Net Zero Strategy. This includes re-establishing the Community Energy Contact Group to provide a dedicated forum to discuss the role that community energy can play in the delivery of net zero with the sector. The approach also includes support for community energy projects from Ofgem, which welcomes applications from the sector to the Industry Voluntary Redress Scheme. The Government is supporting local authorities and community energy groups to work together to develop projects within UK Growth Funding schemes.

Energy: Telephone Services

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 3 May to Question 182453, on Energy: Telephone Services, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of establishing a minimum standard performance requirement for the administration of the Priority Service Register by each individual company.

Amanda Solloway: Ofgem, the independently energy regulator, requires energy companies to set up and maintain best practices in supporting vulnerable people on the Priority Service Register and ensure they receive consistent and high-quality priority services in a timely manner. Ofgem constantly assesses the experience of consumers in vulnerable situations and take action to address the issues they face as energy users.

Energy: Telephone Services

Beth Winter: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, pursuant to the Answer of 3 May 2023 to Question 182452, on Energy: Telephone Services, whether she expects Ofgem to publish evidence of compliance on areas needing improvement.

Amanda Solloway: The Government want domestic consumers to be able to access their energy supplier’s telephone services easily and without incurring high charges. OFGEM has undertaken a compliance exercise with suppliers and the Government would expect OFGEM to publish the results of this exercise in due course.

Energy Price Guarantee

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Energy Price Guarantee.

Amanda Solloway: Between October 2022 and the end of June 2023 the Energy Price Guarantee, together with the Energy Bills Support Scheme, will have covered around half a typical household’s energy bill. The table below features data for a typical household’s energy usage in Great Britain and in Northern Ireland for the period 1 October 2022 – 31 March 2022. Dual fuel household, direct debit (£ inc. VAT)Great Britain (GB) typical household  Northern Ireland (NI) typical householdBill with no support£2,583£1,996Reduction from EPG£945£564EBSS payment (+ £200 universal Alternative Fuel Payment in NI)£400£600Total Support£1,345£1,164Bill after support£1,238£832Total support / bill with no support (%)52%58%

Energy: Competition

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who have switched energy provider in the last six months.

Amanda Solloway: The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero has not yet collected or published switching data for January to May 2023.For switching data until December 2022, please follow this link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/quarterly-domestic-energy-switching-statistics.

Renewable Energy

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the time taken to make new National Grid connections on new renewable energy projects in the UK.

Andrew Bowie: The Government recognises that lengthy connection dates offered to renewable energy projects can create delays. Work is underway to release network capacity and improve the connection process, which should bring connection dates forward for renewable developers, amongst others. Government will publish a connections action plan jointly with Ofgem in the summer to build on this work and set out longer-term reforms to ensure that network connections support our net zero and energy security objectives.

Renewable Energy

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether officials in his Department have had discussions with National Grid on decreasing the waiting time for new grid connections for renewable energy projects.

Andrew Bowie: The Government is working with Ofgem and network companies, including National Grid, to reduce connection timescales. This includes through the Electricity System Operator-led Connections Reform Project.

Manufacturing Industries: Renewable Energy

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether his Department plans to take steps to help progress renewable projects that are at an advanced planning stage through the connections queue.

Andrew Bowie: The Government is working closely with Ofgem and network companies to release network capacity and improve the connection process to reduce connection timescales. Government and Ofgem will publish a Connections Action Plan in the summer which will build on this work and consider longer-term reform of the connection process to ensure that projects can connect in a timely manner.

Nuclear Power Stations: Ukraine

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many discussions has he had with the Ukrainian Government on the security of civilian nuclear power plants in Ukraine since Russia’s invasion in February 2022.

Andrew Bowie: My predecessors and I have maintained regular engagement with our Ukrainian colleagues following the Russian Federation’s unlawful invasion of Ukraine, and its reckless actions against nuclear facilities, including at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power plant and Chornobyl Exclusion Zone.In these conversations we have paid tribute to the immense bravery of Ukrainian staff who continue to safely operate nuclear facilities across Ukraine under the most extreme pressure. We have committed funding to support nuclear security in Ukraine, including up to £2.3m of UK funding to the International Atomic Energy Agency which has been made available to support nuclear security activities in Ukraine.

Department of Health and Social Care

Community Diagnostic Centres

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many of each type of diagnostic test has been provided in each Community Diagnostic Centre in each month since January 2020.

Helen Whately: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

General Practitioners: Enfield

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many GPs worked in (a) Enfield North constituency and (b) London Borough of Enfield in each year since 2010.

Neil O'Brien: The following table shows the number of full time equivalent (FTE) doctors in general practice, in the London Borough of Enfield and Enfield North constituency from September 2015 to September 2022. Data before September 2015 is not included because of a change in the data collection methodology.DateLondon Borough of EnfieldEnfield NorthSeptember 201516254September 201615551September 201715549September 201816653September 201917358September 202016757September 202117532September 202216928 Source: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/general-and-personal-medical-servicesNotes:FTE refers to the proportion of full time contracted hours that the post holder is contracted to work. 1 would indicate they work a full set of hours (37.5), 0.5 that they worked half time. In GPs in Training Grade contracts 1 FTE = 40 hours and in this table these FTEs have been converted to the standard wMDS measure of 1 FTE = 37.5 hours for consistency.Figures shown do not include staff working in Prisons, Army Bases, Educational Establishments, Specialist Care Centres including Drug Rehabilitation Centres, Walk-In Centres and other alternative settings outside of traditional general practice such as urgent treatment centres and minor injury units.Data from September 2015 onwards was collected using a new methodology and should therefore not be directly compared with data from before September 2015. Figures from September 2015 should be treated with caution as the data submission rates under the new methodology from practices were appreciably lower than for subsequent reporting periods. This means that the reported figures for the early years of the collection may be lower than the true picture. In September 2015, which was the first extract from the new Workforce Minimum Data Set, only three of four Health Education England regions submitted data.Data from September 2015 onwards includes estimates for practices that did not provide fully valid staff records.Practices in Practices in the London Borough of Enfield and Enfield North constituency were identified using the National Statistics Postcode Lookup.

Health Services

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to section 179 of the Health and Care Act 2022, whether he is taking steps to support cross-departmental work to prepare the report required under subsection (1); and whether he has had recent discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the potential use of a consistent child identifier to facilitate the sharing of information.

Neil O'Brien: The Department for Education are leading a cross-government programme to meet the legislative commitment in the Health and Social Care Act 2022 for the Government to report to Parliament by summer 2023 on its policy on information sharing in relation to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. The report will include a consideration of the use of a consistent child identifier across agencies.The Child Protection Ministerial Group (CPMG) brings together junior Ministers from Department for Education, Department of Health and Social Care, Home Office, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Ministry of Justice to provide oversight of the programme. The CPMG last met in April, and the consistent child identifier was discussed at that meeting.

Dentistry: Hounslow

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS dentists were registered in the London Borough of Hounslow in each year since 2018 for which figures are available.

Neil O'Brien: The information requested is not held centrally.

Dental Services: Standards

Lee Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps his Department has taken to tackle the shortage of NHS dentist appointments.

Neil O'Brien: In July 2022, we announced a package of improvements to the National Health Service dental system, detailed in ‘Our plan for patients’, which outlined the steps we are taking to meet oral health need and increase access to dental care. The changes we have implemented include a contractual requirement for NHS dentists to keep their NHS.UK profiles up to date to make it easier for patients to seek treatment, improvements to ensure dentists are renumerated fairly for more complex work and greater flexibility to reallocate resources and to utilise dentists with greater capacity to deliver NHS treatment, while enabling full use of the dental team.These changes came into effect towards the end of 2022. NHS England have published additional guidance for dentists and commissioners as part of this package. Patients who are struggling to find a local dentist can contact NHS England’s Customer Contact Centre for assistance or contact NHS 111 if seeking urgent care. NHS England, regional teams and integrated care boards across England are also working together to ensure that patients continue to have access to NHS dental care. We know that we need to do more, and we are working with NHS England and stakeholders to consider additional reforms of the NHS dental system coming shortly this year.

General Practitioners: Shropshire

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to invest in IT systems to (a) improve the productivity and (b) reduce the administrative workload of GP surgeries in (i) Shropshire and (ii) Telford and Wrekin.

Neil O'Brien: As part of our Delivery plan for recovering access to primary care, published on 9 May, NHS England committed to fund digital tools to make it easier for practices to receive, navigate, assess and respond to requests more efficiently. We are retargeting over £240 million of funding in 2023/24 for new technologies and support offers. These will, for example, make home blood pressure monitoring easier, improve the digital infrastructure between general practice and community pharmacy, and help practices implement digital telephony and a Modern General Practice Access approach.These should improve productivity by saving time for general practice teams, and reducing unnecessary administrative workload across England, including in Shropshire and Telford and Wrekin.NHS England ensures that modern, integrated, secure and user-friendly digital systems are available through the GP IT Operating Model, the Digital Care Services catalogue and the GP IT Futures frameworks. This work supports ongoing improvements to procurement processes, a greater choice of nationally accredited digital suppliers and products that meet core standards, requirements and capabilities to ensure GP IT systems continually evolve and advance with minimal impact and disruption to care.

Care Homes: Prescriptions

Kim Leadbeater: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 27 April 2023 to Question 182114 on Prescriptions, whether his Department plans to issue guidance to pharmacies to help ensure that prescriptions for residents of care homes are dispensed and dispatched promptly.

Neil O'Brien: Community pharmacies are already legally required to provide ordered medicines with ‘reasonable promptness’. Pharmacies may need to order medicines from the wholesalers before fulfilling the order and should notify the patient or the patient’s representative when the medicines will be in stock. A toolkit and supporting documents for setting up proxy access for ordering repeat prescriptions for care home residents is available on the NHS England website.

General Practitioners: Wandsworth

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many GPs worked in the London Borough of Wandsworth in each year since 2010.

Neil O'Brien: The table below shows the number of full time equivalent (FTE) doctors in general practice, in the London Borough of Wandsworth from September 2015 to September 2022. DateDoctors in general practice, FTESeptember 2015185September 2016204September 2017205September 2018228September 2019239September 2020238September 2021243September 2022248 Data before September 2015 is not included because of a change in the data collection methodology.Source: https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/general-and-personal-medical-services NotesFull-Time Equivalent (FTE) refers to the proportion of full time contracted hours that the post holder is contracted to work. 1 would indicate they work a full set of hours (37.5), 0.5 that they worked half time. In GPs in Training Grade contracts 1 FTE = 40 hours and in this table these FTEs have been converted to the standard wMDS measure of 1 FTE = 37.5 hours for consistency.Figures shown do not include staff working in Prisons, Army Bases, Educational Establishments, Specialist Care Centres including Drug Rehabilitation Centres, Walk-In Centres and other alternative settings outside of traditional general practice such as urgent treatment centres and minor injury units.Data from September 2015 onwards was collected using a new methodology and should therefore not be directly compared with data from before September 2015. Figures from September 2015 should be treated with caution as the data submission rates under the new methodology from practices were appreciably lower than for subsequent reporting periods. This means that the reported figures for the early years of the collection may be lower than the true picture. In September 2015, which was the first extract from the new Workforce Minimum Data Set, only three of four Health Education England regions submitted data.Data from September 2015 onwards includes estimates for practices that did not provide fully valid staff records.Practices in the London Borough of Wandsworth were identified using the National Statistics Postcode Lookup.

Pharmacy: Nottingham East

Nadia Whittome: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the closure of pharmacy practices on health inequalities in the Nottingham East constituency.

Neil O'Brien: The Department closely monitors the market to ensure people in England have good access to National Health Service pharmaceutical services. Despite the increase in pharmacy closures seen in recent years, there are a similar number of pharmacies to ten years ago and 80% of the population live within 20 minutes’ walking distance of a pharmacy. There are relatively more pharmacies in areas of higher deprivation than in areas with lower levels of deprivation within Nottingham East constituency according to the latest, December 2022, data.

Dental Services: Greater London

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the availability of appointments for NHS dentists in (a) the London Borough of Hounslow and (b) Greater London.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the average waiting time for patients to get an appointment with an NHS dentist in (a) Hounslow Borough (b) London.

Neil O'Brien: No assessment has been made. Patients do not routinely join National Health Service dental waiting lists and are only registered with a dental practice for a course of treatment.The Government has taken steps to address the challenges facing NHS dentistry, and the package of reforms announced last July is an important first step. We know we need to do more and will announce further changes soon. Patients who are struggling to find a local dentist can contact NHS England’s Customer Contact Centre for assistance or contact NHS 111 if seeking urgent care.

Pharmacy: Prescriptions

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to require pharmacists to review medicine prescriptions to ensure that patients are not prescribed medication that is no longer necessary.

Neil O'Brien: Structured Medicine Reviews are already offered by general practices, where, increasingly, prescriber qualified pharmacists are part of multi-disciplinary teams, to review and optimise patients’ medication, which includes deprescribing where appropriate.Pharmacists in community pharmacy are currently required to undertake a check on all prescriptions to ensure they are clinically appropriate before dispensing. Expanding the ability for pharmacists working in this setting to prescribe/deprescribe will require more pharmacist independent prescribers and the development of underpinning systems.From 2026, newly graduated pharmacists will come out of university with a prescribing qualification, and we are upskilling the existing work force. We have also committed in the recent plan for Primary Care to improving the digital infrastructure to support more services being offered in community pharmacy. NHS England will start piloting prescribing services in community pharmacy this summer.

Medical Records: Children

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the consistent child identifier as set out in Section 179 of the Health and Care Act 2022.

Neil O'Brien: The Department for Education are leading a cross-Government programme to meet the legislative commitment in the Health and Social Care Act 2022 for the Government to report to Parliament by summer 2023 on its policy on information sharing in relation to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. The report will include a consideration of the use of a consistent child identifier across agencies.The Child Protection Ministerial Group (CPMG) brings together Ministers from the Department for Education, Department of Health and Social Care, Home Office, Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Ministry of Justice to provide oversight of the programme. The CPMG last met in April, and the consistent child identifier was discussed at that meeting.

Pharmacy and Physiotherapy: Databases

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether it is his policy that interventions by (a) community pharmacists and (b) physiotherapists should be recorded on a single clinical record system.

Neil O'Brien: Providing authorised health and care professionals with access to their patients’ records helps them to understand their patients’ needs, plan their care and make the best decisions with their patients. NHS England are working on improving the IT infrastructure across the health and care system, so that all relevant medical professionals, including physiotherapists and community pharmacists, can access a patient record where appropriate and necessary, to view their history and record any care they provide for other professionals involved in the patient’s care to see.In the current delivery plan for recovering access to primary care, the Government announced that focused IT development will further support all services offered in community pharmacy. NHS England will work with community pharmacy and general practice IT suppliers to streamline referrals, provide additional access to relevant clinical information from the general practitioner (GP) record, and share structured updates quickly and efficiently following a pharmacy consultation back into the GP patient record.

General Practitioners

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's primary care plan in reducing pressure on GP surgeries.

Neil O'Brien: Our Delivery Plan for Recovering Access to Primary Care, published on 9 May 2023, builds on innovative work already happening in general practice and incorporates new measures designed to ease the pressure on practices and improve patient experiences of services.We are retargeting existing funding to help general practices (GPs), with £240 million going to provide digital tools, telephony and training. Practices that have fully implemented this Modern General Practice Access approach have overall patient experience scores on average six percentage points higher than the national average, and case studies show these gains can be much higher.We will also make better use of the clinical capacity within community pharmacies so they can play a larger role in delivery of primary care, helping to take the pressure off GPs and providing patients with more options for care. We expect this to free up around 10 million GP appointments per year by 2024/25.

General Practitioners: Greater London

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many times GP surgeries in (a) Enfield North constituency and (b) the London Borough of Enfield have failed to meet targets for offering appointments to patients in each year since 2010.

Neil O'Brien: The Department has not set a target. General practices (GPs) are required to provide services to meet the reasonable needs of the patients registered at their practice. The Government has also set an expectation that that patients who need an appointment with their GP within two weeks should get one, and that patients with urgent needs should be seen on the same day.

Cereals: Consumption

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will take steps with the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to help increase and promote the consumption of wholegrains.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on whether the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition will agree a definition for wholegrain in 2023. .

Neil O'Brien: Currently in the United Kingdom, there is no agreed definition for wholegrain or wholegrain foods. Therefore, wholegrain consumption cannot be monitored in the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS). At the horizon scan meeting in June 2022, the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) agreed that it would be useful to consider a definition for wholegrain and added it to its future work programme, aiming to start later in 2023, as resources allow. There is a specific Government recommendation for dietary fibre and this is monitored in the NDNS. SACN’s Carbohydrates and Health Report (2015) found that there was strong evidence on dietary fibre and positive health outcomes, but for wholegrains and health outcomes the evidence was mixed and SACN has questioned whether any beneficial effect from wholegrain may be due to the fibre content. Fibre is found in a range of foods and is not exclusive to wholegrain foods. Based on SACN’s findings, the Government recommends that adults consume 30 grams of dietary fibre each day and that this should be achieved through a variety of food sources. Government dietary advice, as depicted by the UK’s national food model, the Eatwell Guide, is that we should choose wholegrain or higher fibre versions of starchy carbohydrates wherever possible. This advice aims to increase population intakes of fibre. The Government continues to promote the Eatwell Guide principles through a variety of channels, including the NHS.UK website and our social marketing campaigns, Better Health and Healthier Families.

Electronic Cigarettes

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to discourage underage vaping.

Neil O'Brien: We have regulations in place to discourage underage vaping. The law protects children through restricting sales of vapes to over 18 years old only, limiting nicotine content, refill bottle and tank sizes, labelling requirements and through advertising restrictions.However, given the changing circumstances surrounding vapes, the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) has launched a call for evidence to identify opportunities to reduce the number of children accessing and using vape products. The call for evidence will close on Tuesday 6 June. Following this, the Government will consider a range of options based on the evidence provided, including potential changes to vaping policy and regulations. In October 2022, we published new content on the potential risks of vaping for young people on the FRANK and Better Health websites and we have provided input to educational resources produced by partners including the PSHE Association.We are also developing a new resource pack for schools on vaping which will be made available by July.

GP Practice Lists: Greater London

Feryal Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent estimate he has made of the average number of patients registered with GP surgeries in (a) Enfield North constituency, (b) the London Borough of Enfield and (c) London in each year since 2010.

Neil O'Brien: This data is not held for the requested years and geographies. Such data as is available on the number of patients registered at general practices in England can be found at the following link:https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/data-tools-and-services/data-services/general-practice-data-hub/patients-registered-at-a-gp-practice

Pharmacy: Training

Daisy Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the (a) support and (b) training provided to pharmacy staff on recognising the symptoms of (i) Crohn’s Disease, (ii) Ulcerative Colitis and (iii) other conditions.

Neil O'Brien: Pharmacy professionals are required to revalidate annually with the General Pharmaceutical Council by submitting records to show how they have carried out and recorded revalidation activities demonstrating that their clinical knowledge and skills are up to date, suitably addressing any gaps in knowledge that are identified. This is to ensure they continue to demonstrate how they provide the safe and effective care that patients and the public expect, as set out in the standards for pharmacy professionals.To support this, the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education offers a wide range of training courses to support pharmacy professionals in their continued professional development, including a Gastro-Intestinal: inflammatory bowel disease e-learning to support healthcare professionals to provide effective care for patients.The clinical role of pharmacy professionals is set to expand over the coming years; the Pharmacy Integration Programme is also investing a further £15.9 million over the next four years to support the expansion of frontline pharmacy staff in primary and community care, to provide increased access to educational, prescribing and clinical training and development opportunities for post-registration pharmacy professionals to meet the needs of patients and local communities. In 2021, the General Pharmaceutical Council introduced new professional standards for initial education and training. This will ensure that the next generation of pharmacists are equipped with essential clinical skills, and from 2026 they will be able to prescribe medicines at the point of registration within the bounds of their clinical competence.

Pharmacy and Physiotherapy: Screening

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to ensure that patients who self refer to a (a) community pharmacists and (b) physiotherapists receive a standard health check.

Neil O'Brien: Local authorities are responsible for commissioning the NHS Health Check programme and England’s cardiovascular disease prevention programme, as well as deciding how eligible individuals will be invited.

NHS: Microsoft

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 13 April 2023 to Question 174463 on NHS: Microsoft, whether NHS Digital has assessed Microsoft Teams for compliance with the digital technology assessment criteria for health and social care since its introduction in 2021.

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 13 April 2023 to Question 174463 on NHS: Microsoft, whether Microsoft Teams has been assessed for compliance with the digital technology assessment criteria in the period since 2021.

Will Quince: NHS Digital, now part of NHS England, manage the national contractual arrangements for Microsoft, which includes the provision of Microsoft Teams. NHS Digital undertake a national level assessment to DCB159, an Information Standards Notice for Secure Email Standards, which include some of the requirements of the Digital Technology Assessment Criteria (DTAC). They have not undertaken a full assessment against the DTAC.As each National Health Service organisation’s Office 365 tenant is configured individually, each NHS organisation is also required to undertake assessments including clinical safety and cyber security, which also form part of the DTAC.

Health Services: Strikes

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, on which dates he has met with the British Medical Association to discuss preventing strike action since his appointment on 25 October 2022.

Will Quince: My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, met the British Medical Association on 12 January 2023. He and I also met the BMA on 2 March, 22 March and 27 March 2023. These meetings included discussion on preventing strike action as part of wider conversations on pay and conditions.The Government and the BMA Junior Doctors Committee held a constructive discussion on 2 May, in preparation for talks aimed at resolving the current junior doctors dispute.While these talks are ongoing, we will not provide a running commentary.

Hospitals and Schools: Air Conditioning

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of installing HEPA  filter air purifiers in schools and hospitals.

Will Quince: No specific assessment has been made. However, new guidance in relation to the application to ultraviolet air cleaners and HEPA filters in the National Health Service was published on 9 May 2023 by NHS England which is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/application-of-hepa-filter-devices-for-air-cleaning-in-healthcare-spaces-guidance-and-standards/

Health Professions: Recruitment

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department are taking to increase recruitment of (a) nursing and (b) other medical staff in NHS hospitals.

Will Quince: We are on track to meet the commitment to 50,000 extra nurses in the National Health Service in England by 2024, with almost 43,000 more nurses in February 2023 compared with September 2019. Additionally, there are over 5,300 more doctors and over 12,300 more nurses working across the NHS compared to a year ago. All eligible nursing degree students receive a non-repayable training grant of a minimum of £5,000 per academic year, with additional funding for studying certain courses such as Mental Health Nursing or Learning Disabilities Nursing, and financial support for childcare, dual accommodation costs and travel. The Registered Nurse Degree Apprenticeship offers an alternative route into the profession, allowing people to ‘earn as they learn’, benefiting those for whom a full-time university course is not practical or preferred. For medical staff, the Government has funded an additional 1,500 undergraduate medical school places per year for domestic students in England.  In January the Government announced funding for the first 200 medical apprentices, providing an alternative route into medicine that makes the profession more accessible and helps ensure a diverse workforce that is more representative of local communities.

Phenytoin

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Competition and Markets Authority finding in 2022 that Pfizer and Flynn charged the NHS unfairly high prices for phenytoin sodium capsules for over four years, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent the NHS from being overcharged for drugs.

Will Quince: The United Kingdom has well established systems for controlling costs and ensuring we get value for money for spending on medicines. For unbranded generic medicines the Department relies on competition to keep prices down. This has led to some of the lowest prices in Europe and allows prices to react to the market. In an international market this ensures that when demand is high and supply is low, prices in the UK can increase to help secure the availability of medicines for UK patients.Where competition does not appear to be working, the Department alerts the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). Where the CMA finds that a company has breached competition law by charging excessive prices it can impose a fine as well as order companies to reduce their prices. In those instances, the Department will seek damages and invest that money back into the National Health Service. Investigations and infringements decisions by the CMA are publicly available on the CMA’s website.

Protective Clothing: Contracts

Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many due diligence checks on companies not were completed before contracts were awarded for personal protective equipment procurement.

Will Quince: All offers of personal protective equipment submitted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic went through a structured, documented due diligence process before a contract was awarded by the Department.

Urinary Tract Infections: Diagnosis

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits for reducing antimocrobial resistance of speeding up regulatory approval for new urinary tract infection point-of-care diagnostics such as Lodestar DX and UTRiPLEX.

Will Quince: The speed of regulatory approval is reliant on the device manufacturer's ability to submit required documentation for registration with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which includes evidence that it conforms to United Kingdom legal requirements as described by the UK Medical Devices Regulations. The MHRA will check the documentation and revert with a registration letter that enables the point-of-care diagnostic devices to be placed on the market in the UK. Manufacturers of innovative products can also seek advice from the MHRA through its Innovation Accelerator.NICE has published an article describing the potential merits for reducing antimicrobial resistance with four innovative tests for diagnosing urinary tract infections which include Lodestar Dx and UTRiPLEX.

Coronavirus: Vaccination

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Regulation 28 Report to Prevent Future Deaths sent to his Department on 13 October 2022, which states that from the 25th February 2022 the MHRA investigated the potential signal of immune thrombocytopenia and identified three cases of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis which could possibly be associated with the Astra Zeneca covid-19 vaccine, if he will make an assessment of the reasons for which the MHRA did not receive all of the necessary clinical information to allow them fully to consider these cases; and whether sufficient information has now been provided to the MHRA to allow them to make a full consideration.

Will Quince: Prevention of Future Death reports play a valuable role in drawing matters of concern to the attention of the Government, its agencies and others to determine if action should be taken. The Department ensures that relevant regulators and other bodies are aware of matters of concern brought to its attention so that the system can respond as appropriate, and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has provided input into the Department's response to this Regulation 28 Report.The Department is finalising its response to this Regulation 28 report. It is within the Chief Coroner’s discretion to publish the report, together with the Department’s response.

Coronavirus: Drugs

Gareth Bacon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment has the Government made of the effectiveness of the processes for evaluating Covid-19 treatment drugs.

Will Quince: As we move out of the pandemic response, it is right that existing processes for understanding the clinical and cost-effectiveness of medicines are used to inform routine commissioning arrangements, including for new COVID-19 drugs and treatments. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent, expert body that develops authoritative, evidence-based recommendations for the National Health Service on whether new medicines represent a clinically and cost-effective use of resources.To support the transition to routine commissioning, NICE has been evaluating the clinical and cost effectiveness of the licensed treatments for COVID-19 and published final guidance on 29 March that recommends three medicines as options for treating COVID-19 in adults which will be made routinely available to NHS patients in line with NICE’s recommendations. Because new COVID-19 variants develop over time, NICE is also introducing a new review process to update its recommendations on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of COVID-19 treatments so they can be made available more quickly to patients, if they show promise against new variants and are found to be cost-effective.

Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva: Research

Dean Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to support research on (a) slowing the symptoms of and (b) finding a cure for fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva.

Will Quince: The Department funds research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). In the last five years the NIHR has supported the delivery of eight studies relating to Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva via NIHR infrastructure which includes research on potential treatments.

Hospitals: Staff

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to ensure that NHS hospitals have sufficient resources to provide cover for staff absences on bank holidays.

Will Quince: The National Health Service is a combination of integrated care services that operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Workforce optimisation tools such as the use of e-rostering and e-job planning allow the NHS to efficiently schedule staff rotas. In addition, NHS staff banks offer a flexible staffing pool to meet additional capacity demands.

Health Services: Waiting Lists

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to help reduce the size of backlogs in the NHS approaching summer 2023.

Will Quince: Having met our target to virtually eliminate long waits of two years or more for elective procedures in July 2022 we have now significantly reduced the number of patients waiting 18 months or more by April 2023, ahead of summer. As a result of the pandemic, the number of patients waiting over 18 months peaked at almost 125,000 in September 2021. Official NHS England statistics show at the end of March 2023 there were 10,737 patients waiting over 18 months, a reduction of over 91% from this peak. Steps being taken to reduce the size of the backlog include increasing capacity, seeking alternate capacity in other trusts or the independent sector and engaging with patients to understand their choices.

Medical Equipment: Developing Countries

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of offering unused and safe equipment with arbitrary expiry dates to the health departments of developing countries.

Will Quince: In line with humanitarian best practice, the Department does not donate medical supplies which are close to, or past expiry.

Radiology: Paediatrics

Greg Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department has taken steps to (a) increase access to paediatric interventional radiology services and (b) ensure that every hospital has a strategy for dealing with out-of-hours emergencies requiring those services since 2010.

Helen Whately: The Surgery in Children Clinical Reference Group (CRG) provides clinical leadership and advice to NHS England and the Surgery in Children Operational Delivery Group, including on paediatric imaging and interventional radiology. Since the COVID-19 pandemic surgery restoration and recovery have been prioritised, however, the issues linked to access to interventional radiology are to be presented to the Women and Children’s Programme of Care on the 28 June 2023 and will also be presented to Surgery in Children Operational Delivery Networks to incorporate into their respective work programmes during 2023/24.

Carers: Liverpool

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the economic value of the support provided by unpaid carers in Liverpool.

Helen Whately: The Department does not produce estimates on the economic value of the support provided by unpaid carers and has no plans to do so.

Members: Correspondence

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to reply to the letters dated 1 March and 4 April 2023 from the hon. Member for Weston-super-Mare on behalf of Weston Hospicecare about support for the hospice sector.

Helen Whately: We have received the correspondence of 1 March 2023 and 4 April 2023 and will respond in due course.

Physiotherapy

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of physiotherapists working in the community; what assessment he has made of the potential impact of direct referral will impact on the number of physiotherapists required; and what estimate he has made of that number.

Helen Whately: NHS England publishes Hospital and Community Health Services workforce statistics. These include staff working in National Health Service trusts and other core organisations in England. These statistics show that there were 22,891 full-time equivalent physiotherapists employed in the NHS in January 2023. No assessment has been made of the potential impact of direct referral on the number of physiotherapists required.

Women and Equalities

Licensed Premises: Disability

Wendy Chamberlain: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the Government response to the report from the House of Lords Select Committee on the Licensing Act 2003, published in November 2017, whether the Government has taken recent steps to ensure equal access to licensed premises for disabled people; what recent assessment the Government has made of trends in the level of businesses managing licensed premises that comply with the requirements in the Equality Act 2010; and if she will make a statement.

Stuart Andrew: In common with all businesses and providers of services, licensed premises are required to comply with the provisions of the Equality Act 2010. This includes making reasonable adjustments for disabled customers and this duty is anticipatory, meaning that service providers must anticipate the adjustments that disabled customers may reasonably need, rather than await requests for such adjustments before acting.In line with civil law principles, it is for individuals who feel that they have experienced discrimination - for example by a licensed premises for failing to make a reasonable adjustment - to take advice and if necessary legal action under the 2010 Act, to remedy the situation.The Equality Hub expects all sectors, including hospitality, to comply with their legal duties and does not routinely consider the performance of individual sectors. The Equality and Human Rights Commission has powers to investigate such matters but as a body is independent of Government and makes its own decisions on prioritising its work.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Levelling Up Fund

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, when the (a) application process will begin and (b) decisions on allocation of funds will be announced for the Levelling-Up Fund Round 3.

Dehenna Davison: The third round of the Levelling Up Fund will provide further investment in important projects across the UK.We are currently reflecting on the lessons learned from the first two rounds of the Fund, to help inform the design of round three. We will share further details of our approach shortly.

Private Rented Housing: Evictions

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an estimate of the number of people who became homeless following a section 21 notice in (a) the last six months, (b) 2022, (c) 2020 and (d) 2018.

Felicity Buchan: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer to Question UIN 183090 on 9 May 2023.

Local Government: Elections

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether any people were turned away from voting on Thursday 4 May 2023 because they were wearing religious head dress.

Navendu Mishra: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing police warrant cards to be used as valid ID in polling stations during elections.

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment he has made of the impact of voter ID on turnout levels at the local elections on 4 May 2023.

Helen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, on what basis the list of acceptable forms of voter ID were determined by his Department.

Dehenna Davison: Regarding the assessment of the potential impact of voter identification on levels of fraud and turnout levels at the May 2023 local elections, I refer the Hon. Member to the response given to Question UIN 162192 on 14 March 2023.Regarding the list of accepted forms of identification and the equality impact assessment, I refer the Hon. Member to the response to Question UIN 183968 and to UIN 180947 on 16 May 2023 and 20 April 2023.No eligible electors should be turned away due to wearing religious head dress. Privacy screens or private areas must be, by law, available in all polling stations for electors who may wish to have their identity checked in private.I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 183152 on 9 May 2023.

Domestic Abuse

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many domestic abuse survivors who (a) were employed and not in receipt of benefits, (b) were unemployed and not in receipt of benefits, (c) had no recourse to public funds, (d) were unemployed and in receipt of benefits and (e) were employed and in receipt of benefits have been admitted to domestic violence refuge shelters in the latest period for which data is available.

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make a comparative assessment of the number of domestic abuse survivors who were (a) not in receipt of benefits, (b) employed and (c) both employed and not in receipt of benefits who were admitted to a domestic violence refuge shelter in each of the last five years.

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what information his Department holds on how much money was paid for councils to support domestic violence refuge shelters for domestic abuse victims (a) employed but not in receipt of benefits, (b) unemployed and not in receipt of benefits and (c) with no access to funds in each of the last five years.

Felicity Buchan: As set out previously, since 2020 the Department has provided £393.9 million in funding to local councils for the provision of support in domestic abuse safe accommodation - £16.6 million in 2020/21, £125 million in both 2021/22 and 2022/23 and £127.3 million for 2023/24. The links can be found here.In addition, we have committed to a further £129.7 million for the delivery of these duties in 2024/25. The link can be found here.This funding is for support which is available to all domestic abuse victims who are residing in refuges and other types of safe accommodation regardless of their employment status.The Department does not hold employment and benefits data on individuals in domestic abuse safe accommodation services.

Local Government: Elections

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the requirement for voter ID on levels of voter (a) fraud and (b) participation at the May 2023 local elections in England.

Dehenna Davison: The independent Electoral Commission recommended voter ID in January 2014, asking that “Voters should be required to show proof of their identity before they can be issued with a ballot paper at polling stations for elections and referendums in Great Britain. The Commission will publish detailed proposals for a proof of identity scheme by the end of 2014 and wants to see this change in place by no later than the 2019 European and English local government elections.” This is publicly available here.As set out last year by ministers to Parliament, we have “committed to a review that will take place after the May elections. I can confirm our intention that the results of that review should be published no later than November 2023.”

Elections: Proof of Identity

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what reason student ID is not valid for voting ID purposes.

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many instances of electors leaving behind their voting identification documents in polling stations occurred at the local elections on 4 May 2023.

Dehenna Davison: Further to the Government's policy statement on voter identification, which set out the reasons for the forms of identification accepted in polling stations under the new rules, identity cards bearing the Proof of Age Standards Scheme hologram (a PASS card), including for example the National Union of Students’ (NUS) Totum ID Card, are accepted.The data requested is not held centrally.

Origin Housing: Complaints

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how many complaints his Department has received against Origin Housing in each of the last five years.

Dehenna Davison: The information requested is not held centrally. Information on the performance of social housing landlords is available on the Housing Ombudsman’s website.

Housing: Thamesmead

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact on the local housing market of extending the DLR from Gallions Reach to Thamesmead; and if he will make a statement.

Rachel Maclean: Responsibility for the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) sits with the Mayor of London and Transport for London.Government recognises the potential of the proposed extension of the DLR, and welcomes the partnership approach that is being taken. Government will continue to engage with partners, as they develop the evidence base.Government understands that partners will assess the housing impacts of transport options as part of the initial business case that is currently being developed.

Community Housing Fund

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department plans to renew the Community Housing Fund.

Rachel Maclean: I refer the Hon Member to the answer I gave to Question UIN 181053 on 25 April 2023.

Private Rented Housing

Claire Hanna: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make it his policy to establish a consultation on the requirement for guarantors in the private housing rental sector.

Rachel Maclean: The Government is reforming the private rented sector to make it fairer for tenants and will bring forward legislation as soon as possible.We strongly encourage landlords and letting agents to assess the suitability of potential and existing tenants on an individual basis.We recognise that securing a guarantor can be difficult for some tenants. In these cases, local councils may offer guarantee schemes to help people on low incomes or at risk of homelessness. Further advice is available from local council housing teams, Shelter and other specialist advisers.

Lighting: Pollution Control

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps his Department is taking to minimise light pollution in (a) existing street lighting, (b) new housing and (c) new commercial developments.

Rachel Maclean: The management of street lighting in England is the responsibility of local highway authorities.Our planning policy is clear that by encouraging good design, planning policies and decisions should limit the impact of light pollution from artificial light.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Taiwan: Visits Abroad

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to visit the Republic of China (Taiwan) in the next 12 months.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: No visit to Taiwan is planned by the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs. The UK has no diplomatic relations with Taiwan but a strong, unofficial relationship, based on deep and growing ties in a wide range of areas, and underpinned by shared democratic values.

Taiwan: Foreign Relations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to enhance the relationship between the UK and the Republic of China (Taiwan).

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK has no diplomatic relations with Taiwan but does have a strong, unofficial relationship, based on deep and growing ties in a wide range of areas, and underpinned by shared democratic values. We continue to engage with Taiwan on economic, trade, education and cultural ties. This relationship delivers significant benefits to both the UK and Taiwan and has featured a wide range of exchanges and visits, for example on judicial, health and educational issues.

UK Special Representative for Climate Change: Public Appointments

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will appoint a Special Representative on Climate Change.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Whilst an immediate successor to the Special Representative has not been appointed, our resource and senior representation within the FCDO on climate and environment has grown significantly in recent years. Climate change remains an area of utmost importance to this government and to the Foreign Secretary.

Diplomatic Service: Crisis Management

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the (a) number of staff and (b) resources committed to its Crisis Response Centre.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The FCDO Crisis Response Centre has the capacity to surge staff and resources to respond to a crisis depending on the scale and nature of the incident. Following the Afghanistan response, the FCDO implemented a full review of these cadres, as well as the cross-FCDO crisis response training package, to ensure that staffing and resources are fit for purpose. This led to a full refresh of surge lists, many of whom served within the recent Sudan response.

Horn of Africa: International Assistance

Patrick Grady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he plans to attend the United Nations Horn of Africa Conference 2023: High-level pledging event for the humanitarian response in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia on 24 May 2023.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Alongside Italy, Qatar, the USA and UN the UK will co-host a humanitarian pledging conference for the Horn of Africa on 24 May in New York. We will share details about Ministerial involvement at this event in due course.

India: Human Rights

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with (a) his counterparts in India and (b) international partners on (i) the protection of civil liberties and (ii) human rights in India.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The UK Government has a broad and deep partnership with the Government of India and we discuss all elements of our relationship. We remain committed to championing democracy and human rights around the world. Where we have issues, we raise them directly with the Government of India, including at Ministerial level.  The Minister for South Asia, Lord [Tariq] Ahmad of Wimbledon, regularly speaks to the High Commissioner of India. Human rights and civil liberties forms part of that dialogue. Our networks across India regularly meet civil society groups and run projects promoting human rights.

Sudan: Humanitarian Aid

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the UN World Food Programme on the UK's aid to Sudan.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK Government are providing diplomatic support for efforts to secure a cease-fire, enable humanitarian access, scale-up aid delivery and address the impacts on neighbouring countries. As part of these efforts, I spoke with Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths on 30 April to discuss the UN's humanitarian response in Sudan and plans for resuming aid operations. Separately, whilst in Kenya on 29/30 April I also discussed the crisis in Sudan with President Ruto, Chairperson of the African Union Moussa Faki, and other interlocutors. FCDO officials have also discussed Sudan with counterparts from the World Food Programme. The UK is a committed donor in Sudan, having spent over £250 million in humanitarian aid in the last five years.

Tibet: Education

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the implications for its polices of reports of the Chinese government’s forced residential school system in Tibet; if he will takes steps to raise that issue at the G7 Summit on 19 to 21 May 2023; and if he will make a statement.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: We are aware of reports that Tibetan parents are being coerced into sending their children to boarding schools in Tibet with no access to traditional Tibetan learning. In March 2023 we raised the issue of boarding schools in our Item 4 statement at the UN Human Rights Council (HRC), and in June 2022 a UK-led lobbying effort helped to secure the support of 46 other countries for a joint statement at the HRC which highlighted the situation in Tibet. On 18 April 2023 a G7 Foreign Ministers Communiqué noted that all G7 countries continue to raise concerns with China on human rights violations, including on Tibet. We will continue to work with international partners and press China to cease human rights violations.

Developing Countries: Debts

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when his Department plans to respond to the International Development Select Committee's report entitled Debt relief in low-income countries, HC 146, published on 10 March 2023.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: The FCDO submitted its response to the International Development Select Committee report this week.The FCDO response to the report will be published by the Committee according to the Committee's timetable.

Sudan: British Nationals Abroad

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 May 2023 to Question 183547 on Sudan: British Nationals Abroad, what the total number of people was on each aircraft leaving Port Sudan in the evacuation of Sudan, including service personnel.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan: Between 25 April and 3 May, the UK supported the departure of 1,243 British Nationals (BNs) - and 1,207 other nationals - from Sudan. 30 UK military flights from Sudan to Cyprus carried out this evacuation. 263 people were evacuated from Port Sudan to Cyprus and 2,187 people were evacuated from Wadi Saeedna to Cyprus. 2,097 British Nationals and their dependants made the onward journey to the UK. We do not comment on details of service personnel deployed which are an operational matter.

East Africa: Education

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to help support reductions in the number of children in East Africa facing barriers to education linked to (a) hunger, (b) access to water, (c) child labour and (d) child marriage.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Championing 12 years of quality education for all children, especially girls, is a top UK development priority. This includes help to overcome the full range of barriers that the poorest and most marginalised children face in accessing education.FCDO supports education programmes across East Africa. For example, our support to Education Cannot Wait in Somalia is enabling access to education in crises, keeping schools open in the context of drought and severe levels of food insecurity, and promoting provision for the displaced.Through our support to the UN Global Programme to End Child Marriage, we are targeting girls at risk in Uganda, Mozambique and Ethiopia, improving their access to education and tackling underlying drivers of child marriage. In 2021 alone, 750,000 people participated in dialogue to prevent and respond to child marriage and 250,000 adolescent girls accessed comprehensive sexuality education.

Afghanistan: Refugees

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what educational facilities are available to children eligible for relocation to the UK under the Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy who are currently staying in Government-funded temporary accommodation in (a) Pakistan and (b) other countries.

Leo Docherty: It is not possible for HMG to offer full access to education or to the UK education curriculum for those being supported temporarily in third countries. Some children have been offered school places in some host countries and others are receiving some form of limited education support - primarily English lessons.

Sudan: British Nationals Abroad

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of British children who remain in Sudan.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: Since 25 April, the UK has supported the departure of 2,450 people, including British nationals, dependants, and other eligible nationals out of Sudan.The UK Government continues to provide limited consular assistance to British nationals still in Sudan, communicating through our telephone consular helpline and Travel Advice updates. We do not have verified data on those British nationals remaining in Sudan. British nationals who require assistance can call us 24/7.

Imran Khan

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made for the implications of its policies made of the situation in Pakistan following the arrest of former prime minister, Imran Khan.

Leo Docherty: As the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary have said, the UK has a close and longstanding relationship with Pakistan. We support peaceful democratic processes and adherence to the rule of law and we are continuing to monitor the situation in Pakistan. Lord [Tariq] Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for South Asia, has spoken to the High Commissioner for Pakistan to the UK and to Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Hina Rabbani Khar.

Shahbaz Gill

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Pakistani counterpart regarding the arrest of Dr Shahbaz Gil.

Fleur Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Pakistani counterpart regarding the arrest of Azam Swati.

Leo Docherty: The UK Government continues to regularly engage the Government of Pakistan at a senior level on the need to respect human rights and uphold the rule of law. Where there are allegations of human rights violations, we expect these to be fully investigated in line with due process. We do not comment on Pakistan's internal domestic affairs.

Sudan: Armed Conflict

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of targeted sanctions on entities in Sudan being used to resource the parties to the conflict.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK Government does not speculate on future designations as to do so could reduce their impact. Our immediate priority is to work with our international partners, including the US, to ensure a cessation of violence across Sudan, and secure humanitarian access. All parties to the conflict must uphold their responsibility to protect civilians and ensure humanitarian assistance can be delivered quicky and safely.

Sudan: Armed Conflict

Ms Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies of reports of (a) financing and (b) networks being used to resource the parties to the conflict in Sudan, including (i) Breaking the Bank, published by C4ADS on 29 June 2022, (ii) Paper Trails, published by C4ADS on 13 June 2019 and (iiii) Sudan Struggles to Control Its Parastatals, published by The Sentry in May 2021.

Mr Andrew Mitchell: The UK Government has repeatedly emphasised the negative influence of Russian activities in Africa. This includes reported Wagner Group involvement in the exploitation of Sudanese gold resources and supplying weapons to Sudan's Rapid Support Forces.Promoting transparent public financial management within Sudanese institutions is a critical component of our long-term objective to help deliver peace, prosperity and democracy in Sudan.

Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla

Ruth Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, how many heads of (a) state and (b) government attended His Majesty’s coronation.

David Rutley: Over 450 overseas representatives and their guests attended the Coronation. This included 92 Heads of State and 35 Heads of Government (including Realm Prime Ministers and Premiers of Overseas Territories). Nine International Organisations and Institutions were represented.

Javier Tarazona

Andrew Lewer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will call for the unconditional release of Javier Tarazona..

David Rutley: The UK continues to monitor the ongoing imprisonment and mistreatment of Javier Tarazona, the director of the non-governmental organization FundaREDES who was arbitrarily detained in July 2021. We regularly raise the human rights situation in Venezuela at the UN Human Rights Council, and our Embassy in Caracas supports local non-governmental organisations working on human rights. In July 2022, the then FCDO Minister for Latin America issued a tweet calling for the release of Javier Tarazona. Human rights organisations must be able to work freely and without fear. The regime's practice of regularly targeting those engaged in human rights work stands in the way of democracy and a resolution to Venezuela's humanitarian crisis.

Venezuela: Non-governmental Organisations

Andrew Lewer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will call for the removal of the Law for the audit, regularization, action and financing of non-governmental and related organizations proposed by the Venezuelan authorities.

David Rutley: The UK firmly supports the right of civil society to operate freely in all countries, including Venezuela. Recent years have seen a worrying deterioration of the human rights situation in Venezuela, where the Maduro regime has used force against peaceful protesters, stifled media freedom, carried out arbitrary detentions and harassed journalists and human rights defenders. The UK is closely monitoring the proposed Law on control, regularization, operations and financing of non-governmental and related organisations, which would limit further the civil and democratic space. We raised the proposed bill at the UN Human Rights Council in March. We urge the Venezuelan regime to undertake constructive dialogue with the international community to ensure this space is protected in accordance with International Law.

Emirlendris Benítez

Andrew Lewer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will call for the provision of urgent medical care for Emirlendris Benítez.

David Rutley: The UK continues to monitor the ongoing imprisonment and mistreatment of Emirlendris Benítez, who was arbitrarily detained in August 2018 for political reasons. We regularly raise the human rights situation in Venezuela at the UN Human Rights Council, and our Embassy in Caracas supports local non-governmental organisations working on human rights. The regime's practice of regularly targeting those engaged in human rights work stands in the way of democracy and a resolution to Venezuela's humanitarian crisis.

European Economic and Social Committee

Alyn Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether it is his Department’s policy to work towards gaining Observer Status on the European Economic and Social Committee.

Leo Docherty: It is not the Department's policy to gain observer status on the European Economic and Social Committee.

UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement

Alyn Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department has taken steps to consult the devolved Administrations on the negotiating objectives for the upcoming review of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement in 2026.

Leo Docherty: The UK Government is committed to maximising the potential of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement for the benefit of UK citizens, businesses and civil society.The government regularly consults the Devolved Administrations on implementing the Trade and Cooperation Agreement.

Department for Transport

Buses: Driving

Simon Lightwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an assessment of trends in the levels of bus and coach driver vacancies.

Mr Richard Holden: The Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT) estimated that almost 1 in 10 bus driver positions in the UK were vacant in September 2022. However, intelligence from the sector suggests that the shortfall has reduced significantly in recent months. In November 2022, the Department and CPT co-chaired a Bus and Coach Driver Summit to understand and address the issues causing driver shortages. Following the Bus and Coach Driver Summit, the Department has been working with CPT to take forward the actions identified at the summit.

Motorways: Safety Measures

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what was the cost to the public purse of media advertising for the Go Left smart motorway campaign in 2021.

Mr Richard Holden: The Go Left campaign, which promotes good behaviour on all dual carriageways and motorways, was conducted across two waves of activity in Spring and Autumn 2021 at a total cost of £5.8 million.

Roads: Active Travel

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether National Highways has made a recent assessment of the proportion of the Strategic Road Network that has walking, cycling or horse-riding (a) provision alongside it and (b) nearby alignment.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment National Highways has made of the adequacy of provision to cross the Strategic Road Network on foot, by cycle or on horseback at (a) junctions and (b) other crossing points.

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether National Highways has made an assessment of the adequacy of provision for walking and cycling on the strategic road network.

Mr Richard Holden: National Highways (NH) has not undertaken such an assessment.

Driver Information Systems

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if will bring forward legislative proposals to require satellite navigation operators to update their software to illustrate real-time restrictions for motorists.

Mr Richard Holden: Whilst the Department has no powers to direct satellite navigation operators, we are considering proposals to digitalise traffic regulation orders which would mean up-to-date and accurate information on restrictions is available for satnavs and other products provided by the transport technology sector. We consulted on this in 2022. The Government’s response should be published shortly.

Road Traffic: Romford

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department is taking steps to reduce traffic congestion in (a) Romford and (b) the area surrounding Gallows Corner.

Mr Richard Holden: Managing the traffic on local roads is the responsibility of the local traffic authorities. They are subject to a network management duty which requires them to manage their roads to deliver expeditious movement of traffic, including pedestrians. Responsibility for London’s road network is primarily split between TfL, who manage London’s red routes, and the London boroughs, who manage around 95% of the network.

Highway Code

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the adequacy of public understanding and knowledge of the changes introduced to the Highway Code at the beginning of 2023.

Mr Richard Holden: The recent changes to The Highway Code (implemented from 2022) were accompanied by a public awareness campaign, using a range of channels, including radio and social media.   The percentage of road users reporting to know either a little or a lot about the Highway Code changes increased from 36% in January 2022 to 58% in August 2022, with 83% of road users having heard of the changes by August.

Fixed Penalties: Appeals

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the appeals process for people who wish to challenge a penalty charge notice.

Mr Richard Holden: Parallel legislative regimes for London and elsewhere in England provide the right to challenge Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) issued by local authorities to motorists considered to have contravened parking, bus lane or moving traffic restrictions. The processes provide the opportunity to challenge a PCN with the issuing local authority. In the event that the local authority rejects the challenge, having due regard to statutory guidance, further provision is made for the right of appeal to an independent adjudicator. No recent assessment has been made as to the adequacy of the appeals process.

Bus Services and Railways

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will take steps to give local authorities powers to require bus and rail operators to collaborate on (a) timetabling and (b) cross-ticketing.

Mr Richard Holden: The Government’s National Bus Strategy and Plan for Rail set out our goals to better integrate bus and rail networks with each other. Our ambitions include seeing more bus routes serving railway stations and better integration between buses and trains on both timing of services and ticketing, and we are working closely with Local Authorities to encourage multi-modal collaboration. Local Authorities are already working closely with bus operators, through statutory Enhanced Partnerships (or in limited cases, exploring options around bus franchising), to establish locally-led frameworks to design the most appropriate fares and ticketing schemes for their localities or sub-regions. The Department and the Great British Railways Transition Team are also working with Local Transport Authorities on options for Pay As You Go ticketing on rail and opportunities to support integrated solutions.

Bus Services: Franchises

Simon Lightwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when the Government plans to release the revised guidance on franchising as set out in the National Bus Strategy for England.

Mr Richard Holden: The Department is currently revising The Bus Services Act 2017 Franchising Scheme Guidance, published in November 2017. The revised guidance will provide simplified and updated advice on the franchising process for local bus services and is due to be published later this year.

Active Travel: Finance

Munira Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the impact of changes to funding for active travel projects on the safety of cyclists.

Jesse Norman: The Cycling and Walking Investment Strategy Report to Parliament, published in July 2022, provides an assessment of the impacts of investment in active travel on road safety. The Department plans to publish a new Road Safety Strategic Framework, based on a Safe System approach, later this spring. Active Travel England will be working with local highway authorities to ensure that all new active travel schemes, however they are funded, are safe and accessible.

Active Travel: Finance

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to review the level of funding planned for active travel until the end of this Parliament.

Jesse Norman: A total of over £3 billion of Government funding is projected to be invested in active travel over the five years up to 2025 from a wide range of ring-fenced and non-ring-fenced funds. The Department has confirmed that a total of at least £100m of dedicated capital funding for active travel will be provided over the two-year period of 2023/24 to 2024/25. It is currently finalising the revenue budget for active travel for those years as part of its consideration of all future spending plans.

Active Travel: Finance

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to review the current level of revenue funding for active travel.

Jesse Norman: The Department has confirmed that a total of at least £100m of dedicated capital funding for active travel will be provided over the two-year period of 2023/24 to 2024/25. It is currently finalising the revenue budget for active travel for those years as part of its consideration of all future spending plans.

TransPennine Express Rail Franchise

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure the operator of last resort running the Transpennine Route will improve service reliability.

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to resolve the rail dispute to help ensure a service on the Transpennine Route.

Huw Merriman: The Department’s Rail North Partnership with Transport for the North will provide its full support as TPE transitions across to the operator of last resort and in working to address the performance issues which have affected passengers. However, making these improvements will also require support from the rail unions. There is a fair and reasonable pay offer from industry on the table in exchange for much needed workforce reform and we urge striking unions to accept this and allow their members to have a say and to start putting passengers first. A similar offer was accepted at Network Rail, bringing an end to the industrial relations dispute.

Docklands Light Railway: Thamesmead

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the local economic benefits derived from extending the DLR from Gallions Reach to Thamesmead; and if he will make a statement.

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact on air quality of extending the DLR from Gallions Reach to Thamesmead; and if he will make a statement.

Abena Oppong-Asare: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the impact on small and medium businesses of extending the DLR from Gallions Reach to Thamesmead; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Richard Holden: Transport in London is devolved and is the responsibility of the Mayor of London and Transport for London (TfL). This includes management of the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and air quality policy in London.

Buses: Exhaust Emissions

Simon Lightwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many zero emission buses funded through the Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas scheme (a) have been ordered and (b) are on the road.

Mr Richard Holden: Zero Emission Bus Regional Areas (ZEBRA) scheme funding was awarded in October 2021, March 2022 and March 2023. The scheme will support an estimated 1,342 zero emission buses of which, so far, 725 have been ordered and 6 are currently on the road. We are committed to supporting the introduction of 4,000 zero emission buses and achieving an all zero-emission bus fleet across the entire UK. Across the UK, an estimated 3,400 zero emission buses have been funded so far.

Roads: Bitumens

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to evaluate the climate resilience of (a) existing road surfaces and (b) different asphalt mixes for use in road construction and maintenance.

Mr Richard Holden: The Department is working closely with the UK Roads Leadership Group’s Resilience, Biodiversity & Climate Board to assess the impact of climate change on the highway network and to develop guidance for local highway authorities to make their highway assets, including road surfaces, more resilient.

Tonnage Tax

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to reforms announced in the Spring Budget 2023 to the Tonnage Tax regime, what assessment he has made of the potential impact on employment within the UK maritime sector.

Mr Richard Holden: The Department welcomes the reforms announced by HM Treasury in the Spring Budget which are resulting in renewed interest in the UK Tonnage Tax scheme.

Wandsworth Common Station: Disability

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of disabled access at Wandsworth Common Station.

Huw Merriman: My Department recently conducted an audit of Wandsworth Common on suitability for passengers with accessibility requirements. The station has been nominated under the Access for All scheme, which has provided step free access routes at over 220 stations and delivered smaller scale enhancements at over 1,500 since the programme was launched in 2006. We are working with Network Rail to assess nominations at over 300 locations, and I expect to make an announcement on successful schemes later this year.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

Broadband: Somerton and Frome

David Warburton: To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, how many and what proportion of households in Somerton and Frome constituency did not have access to fibre optic broadband on 1 May 2023.

Sir John Whittingdale: Currently, over 89% of premises in the Somerton and Frome constituency can access a superfast broadband connection. Over 51% have access to a gigabit-capable connection and 38% have fibre to the premises.The Government is committed to working with broadband suppliers to ensure 85% of UK premises can access gigabit-capable broadband by 2025, and then for nationwide coverage by 2030. We are on track to achieve our target.As part of Project Gigabit, the Government’s £5 billion mission to deliver lightning-fast, reliable broadband across the UK, we have begun launching procurements that give subsidies to broadband suppliers to build gigabit-capable infrastructure to premises that will not be reached by suppliers’ commercial plans alone. In the coming months, we plan to launch a procurement that will improve broadband connectivity for premises in Somerton and Frome.Constituents in Somerton and Frome have also made excellent use of the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme which provides a subsidy of up to £4,500 for residents and businesses towards the cost of installing gigabit-capable broadband. More than 960 premises in Somerton and Frome have received a fast, reliable connection through the voucher scheme, worth over £1.5 million.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Culture, Media and Sport: Ministerial Boxes

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many ministerial red boxes belonging to her Department have (a) been reported missing or lost or (b) had their security features removed in order that they can be purchased for personal use by former ministers from 1 May 2018 to 30 April 2023.

Sir John Whittingdale: There have been no missing or lost ministerial red boxes from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, and no red boxes which have had their security features removed between 1 May 2018 to 30 April 2023.The departmental security unit records and investigates each reported loss from the Department. If appropriate, the police are invited to undertake further inquiries.It is a long standing convention under successive administrations that Ministers may pay to retain red boxes as a memento of their time in their role, as long as the security features are removed.

Churches: Finance

Sir Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how much funding has been provided by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and its predecessor bodies to Christian places of worship excluding cathedrals in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland in each of the last five financial years.

Sir John Whittingdale: Since the financial year 2018-19, a total of £99,701,003 has been awarded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund to Christian places of worship across the UK which are not cathedrals. The annual breakdown is as follows, with a more detailed breakdown included in the table below.In 2018-19, £42 million was provided to England, £1.4 million to Scotland, £1.7 million to Wales and £900,000 to Northern Ireland.In 2019-20, £20 million was provided to England, £360,000 to Scotland, £1.2 million to Wales and £1.7 million Northern Ireland.In 2020-21, £7 million was provided to England, £240,000 to Scotland, £380,000 to Wales and £109,000 to Northern Ireland.In 2021-22, £11.3 million was provided to England, £140,000 to Wales and £200,000 to Northern Ireland.In 2022-23, £9.3 million was provided to England, £20,000 to Scotland, £1.4 million to Wales and £611,000 to Northern Ireland. 2018-20192019-20202020-20212021-20222022-2023Grand TotalEngland£41,968,119£20,307,609£6,870,591£11,266,819£9,337,623£89,750,761Wales£1,725,000£1,151,900£370,700£137,701£1,133,727£4,519,028Scotland£1,360,000£350,900£243,700£0£20,318£1,974,918Northern Ireland£866,800£1,650,900£109,300£218,568£610,728£3,456,296Grand Total£45,919,919£23,461,309£7,594,291£11,623,088£11,102,396£99,701,003This information can be found on the National Lottery database, a publicly available source of National Lottery data.

Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what was the cost to the public purse of the coronation on 6 May 2023.

Stuart Andrew: The Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla was a hugely important state occasion, which brought millions of people around the country together in celebration, and showcased the best of the United Kingdom to the world. The Government is delighted to have supported the Coronation to ensure that the events were safe and well-planned.As with all events of this kind, we are unable to give costs until after the spend has been reconciled.